Grandpa's Funeral

After a two year health roller coaster ride, my grandpa passed away on August 28, 2009. We planned a quick trip back to Utah for the viewing and funeral. Twelve hours to Utah in time for the viewing, the funeral on Saturday, and then twelve hours back home on Sunday. It was physically and emotionally draining.

I think my grandpa's casket is the most beautiful casket I have ever seen - AND it suits him perfectly. Knotty pine is a perfect description of how he built him home and his family cabin. I immediately started to cry the instant I saw the beauty of this casket.

I am so heartbroken at the loneliness in my grandma's eyes. I can only imagine how empty she must feel knowing that her husband of 67 years is gone. They have been side by side, holding hands for so long - it saddens me to think she will be alone.

This is the bouquet my father sent with the following message, "Reed, Now when I look up to the heavens and see the sun rise and the sunset, I will know who painted them." Gosh, that makes my eyes swell still. Such a beautiful sentiment that is so true. I will never look at a beautiful sunset the same.

Here is our big, amazing family. I believe only 13 people are missing - 2 left early, one was taking his mother home, two are on missions, two great-grandchildren weren't allowed to travel out of state - and off the top of my head I can't remember where the others were. But it's the most we've had in one spot in a long time.

This is one of my favorite pictures of my grandparents. I used to work at KRON-4 in San Francisco. One of their trips out here I was able to treat them to a live viewing of the newscast. We got to sit in the newsroom and then Wendy Takuda and Tom Sinkovitz (both now on different news channels - yay for them) asked them to sit at the anchor desk to take a picture. Now, what makes this so special is the fact that they shared this picture and story at their dinner group. If you made it in a story at dinner group, it mattered to them.

I LOVE YOU REED HOWEY HENDERSON!!!
September 27, 1922 - August 28, 2009