this is the eulogy i read at my stepfather's funeral held on august 1, 2013. i cried the entire way through it, but i think i was still comprehensible. he LOVED the counting crows, so this one's for him...
"Dougie was the comedian in my life for the past 19 years since he first started dating my mother. I remember the first time I met him, he came over to my mom's apartment in Grove Drive in Canandaigua and one of the first things he "said" to me was an impression of daffy duck. That man loved doing cartoon imitations, and he did them so well. Right off the bat he took sincere interest in me and quickly became a second father to me. Family came first to Dougie, he always made sure my mom and I were taken care of, and he was close with my Grandma Hodgson too. He got along well with my father, and that made me feel comfortable around him. I'll never forget my childhood at Bristol Harbor. He would always let me sit on his lap and drive down the private road, I remember feeling super cool for those 3-5 minutes that it took to get down to our condo. He loved the lake and we spent a great deal of time on it as a family; water skiing, tubing, swimming, or just going for a cruise. I will never forget the small things that he did for my mother and I. Looking back on everything, the small things added up to a much bigger picture. If it weren't for Dougie, I would not have been able to do a lot of which I have been blessed to do. He provided a beautiful home on Fort Hill for my mom and I. He may not have been the most patient person in the world, but he was patient when it came to my mom's happiness. It only took her about 6 or 7 years to find a house to live in that met her standards. But he gave my mom and I a place to call home. I get knots in my stomach every time they mention selling our house, because it's the only place that I have always been able to go that has stayed stationary in my life. I have moved around a lot, from the time I was in high school, so to me going home is always something I look forward to. Dougie's success through hard work and motivation to provide for his family allowed my mother to stay home with me when I was little, so I didn't have to have a babysitter. I think that is a big reason I am so close with my mom, because we have spent so much time together throughout my life, and I owe a lot of that time together to Dougie. When my mom decided to go back to work as I got older, Dougie still made sure she had time to take care of her garden and her home, which is her passion. He helped put me through college, and his passing has motivated me more than ever to go back to school and finish my degree, because I know that's what he would want for me. Nothing but the best. He took me golfing with him, of course I didn't golf, I just enjoyed driving the cart and eating the food at the club house afterwards. He took my mom, my Grandparents, my step cousins Cameron and Amanda and myself on camping trips. The one I remember most, like it was yesterday, is the trip we took to Lake Placid > VT > NH > Maine. In Lake Placid we jumped off the gorges into water holes - he was fearless - he jumped right off with no hesitation, and even did backflips. But most importantly, he gave me the last real memory I have of my Grandpa Jack. It means a lot to me that he included my Grandparents and built a relationship with them. Throughout my ski racing career, he was almost always at all my nearby races, and the races he couldn't make he always called to check in to see how my results were. He honestly cared, he was a true gentlemen. I myself can relate a lot to him, and for that reason I will never judge him, but think of him as my guardian angel guiding me in the right direction. At the end of the day, he had a heart of gold and was a giant teddy bear that you couldn't help but love. Any man that ends up as half the man he was is truly blessed. I will never forget my memories with Dougie and what he has done for my mom and I. He was a hard worker and tried his best all the time to make sure we were happy. He put us before himself. That's the Dougie I will always remember, cherish, and love. This tragedy has taught me a lesson about family and about life. Family is irreplaceable, you only get one so you better treat them right because they are the people that will always be there for you. And as for his lesson on life - you never know if tomorrow will come, so you should live each day as if it's your last. If there's something you want to do in your life, don't wait to do it, just do it, and once you've become committed to something - finish it. Basically what I'm trying to say is don't live life just half way, live it all the way. Don't let your glass be half full or half empty, fill it to the top until it's overflowing. That's the type of life Dougie always strived to live, and I wish he could have continued to live such a life, but God works in mysterious ways. I'll never understand why God takes away so many good people far before their time is up, but I do understand that Dougie lived a better life in the 54 years he was alive than most people live throughout the entirety of their natural lifespan. And for that reason, I will somehow, someway be at peace with his passing. I love you Dougie, I always have and I always will. When the Yee makes it up to heaven (which honestly shouldn't be too much longer - he's 119 in human years and he can barely move, breathe, see, hear or control his bowels anymore), make sure you give him yicken, yeak and york yops!;) "
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