| 
Alonzo Gardner Smith March 11, 1920-January 15, 2007 my grandfather- i dont know if i will ever know anybody as amazing, loving, devoted, caring, pure, honest, and Godly, as him. whether you knew him as mr. lonnie, mr. smith, the candy man, or Da, it doesn't matter-he was the same incredible man of God through and through. he reached out to each person he came in contact with and had a true heart of servant hood. his smile could light a room, his hugs were sincere and heartfelt, his firm handshake and friendly "hey Bud" made you know he really was happy to see you, and whenever he asked how you were doing-you could tell he truly was concerned. i know each of you could tell me story after story of wonderful memories you shared with my grandfather. if you knew him well you would easily be able to tell the 3 most important things in his life: his church, his family, and his heavenly father and he gave all and everything he had to each of these. to his church-i can't even begin to tell you all of the memories i have with da in this church. i used to come with him to help him clean the church-he would make lemon poppy seed muffins, and coffee for mr. whitwer and i would sing obnoxiously on the stage thinking i was awesome and such a good singer and every time he just looked up at me and smiled and agreed with me. you know you are a good man when you can do that. and you always knew where to find him-he was either standing up in the back with bulletins in his hand greeting every person that came in or he was sitting in the back row with our family. and if you were sitting anywhere near him you could always hear him sing each hymn loud with no shame, sharing his heart through these songs. and i know everybody has watched tons of kids run up to him every Sunday and heard him say those famous words that we heard for years "red or green?" his peppermints were kind of his trademark. we all watched him be a true leader in this church. it just wasn't the same without him standing in the back passing out bulletins, greeting each person that walked in the door, and making everyone smile. he loved this church and everyone knew it. to his family-he loved each one of us so much. his 3 children-my mom, my aunt, and my uncle, meant the world to him. and he adored and loved us-his grandchildren-unconditionally. he raised his kids and grandkids the best he knew how and cared for us and always wanted to the best for us until his last breath. even when he was tired, and weak, and in pain-he held on and fought cause he wanted us to be ok and to be taken care of. and when he was in and out or he had his bad days-he always knew who we were and always managed to slip out an "i love you too honey." i cant even begin to tell you the amount of influence he has had on my life and how it has helped me become who i am today. it's the hardest thing in the world to let him go, but we are so lucky we had him for as long as we did. and to His God-i dont really need to explain this one. one look at my grandfather and you could tell who had his heart and who he was devoted to. he was a passionate follower, a faithful child, and an obedient servant. this is why it's so hard to say goodbye to somebody so wonderful. we all want one more hug, one more kiss, one more smile, one more time to tell him we love him. the past will never be enough but we can rest in the fact knowing that we will get to do all of that not just one more time, but for an eternity when we are reunited with him in heaven. and i cant wait for that day. because the day we have been dreading here on earth for so long is the day our god has been anticipating for so long. the day Da left us and left this world behind and finally went home. and i know that when God finally got him he looked at him and said "well done my good and faithful servant." i know that he is gone from us and he finally has peace and rest and now we can simply cling to the fact that my God has truly gained one of the very best |
