Two of the proudest days of my life were give the eulogies for both of my grandmothers. I am truly blessed and I wanted to share the eulogies of these two amazing women on my blog.
Eleanor Daly, December 13th, 1915 - January 13th, 2008
I am Shaun Priest, Cathy’s son and Nana’s oldest grandchild. I want to thank my aunts and uncles for giving me the opportunity to talk about Eleanor from the perspective of her grandson. Eleanor is my grandmother and not only is she my favorite person in the world, she is the person I admire the most. I am truly blessed to have her as my grandmother and for her to be a part of my life for so many years. She represents all that is good in this world to me. She does this not by talking or bragging but by living the virtues of love, faith, hope, charity, all while have fun and enjoying life.
My early views of Nana is a doting mother and grandmother. My brother Timmy and I would have a great time with her playing games, playing cards, baking cookies, plus she would never tattle on us. She is a fantastic grand mother.
The reason I wanted to speak about Nana is to talk about her passion and the quiet fire burning in her soul. She is so much more to me than my grandmother. My deep admiration for Nana grew slowly and it took a while for me to see the fire quietly burning in her soul. A couple of reasons I could not see the fire is Nana is such a happy person who does not talk about herself. Nana did not drive and some of you may not know this but when I was a kid, she used to go down the stairs backwards. Timmy, Nana, and I used laugh when we would copy her going down the stairs backwards, plus Grandpa is such a strong person.
Seeing her inner strength, started for me when Nana had her first knee replacement. She was staying with us in Massachusetts and the physical therapist was at the house working with Nana on her knee. There was a scary loud pop and the therapist explained Nana was okay but it was very painful, like breaking your leg, and part of the rehabilitation process. He asked Nana is she wanted to stop and she said no and kept on with the therapy. After the session the therapist told me my grandmother was one tough and impressive woman, he said most people stop when that happens. This was my first glimpse at Nana’s toughness and her inner fire.
Her faith in Jesus and the catholic church. Nana personally helped me with my faith. Nana always supported and attended church. Nana’s faith was a bedrock of her life. When I was in high school, we went to church with her, right here at Christ the King, and as with most teenagers when kneeling at church, I would be put my butt against the pew versus kneeling straight up. I looked over at Nana, with her bad knees, she eventually had three knee replacements, and with tears are quietly rolling down her face from the pain of kneeling straight up. This showed again showed me her toughness and added to her commitment to Jesus and the church. She easily could have taken pressure off her knee by using the pew or even but not kneeling but she took the pain for the lord. For the last twenty plus years, I kneel straight up because of my grandmother and I always say a prayer for her. Nana is true Soldier of Christ.
The next piece for me is her commitment to family. Nana wrote so many letters. When I was in college, I always looked forward to her letters. At one point in my life I moved ten times in ten years and at every place, I received letters from her asking how I was doing and updating me on the family. Her penmanship was poor because of the arthritis in her hands and it never stopped her from writing. Nana wore her wedding ring on her pinky finger because her hands were so swollen from the arthritis. I smile when I think of nana at the kitchen or dinning room table writing her letters to all of her family and friends. She had so many friends and family and kept in touch with all of us.
As I was writing my notes to celebrate Nana’s life, you realize Nana had a lot of physical pain and quietly persevered through. Aunt Brenda and I say Nana is a Profile of Courage. She never complained and never let it stop her. My admiration of Nana is so much more than her preserving through physical pain. She is such a fun person. I have shared so many laughs with Nana. Whether playing Kanasta with Aunt Sheila, Marguerite, and a host of others. Sitting at the kitchen table with Nana making Thanksgiving dinner with everyone giving her advice and her joking with them. Nana telling funny stories about my mother, Cathy, growing up in Vermont. We would laugh about her love of sweets. More recently when she was sick and a patient at Rutland Regional Medical Center, the priest telling her to go to the light and her getting mad at him. Yes, she is so much fun to be around.
I was fortunate to see to Nana during her last week in Bennington, with Aunt Brenda, Aunt Peggy, and Uncle Mike. Nana is lying in bed with oxygen tubes, can hardly move, and we are all still laughing and telling stories.
Nana’s depth is so profound, her generosity of time and money. On money, Grandpa was a postman and nana a house wife, they could not of had a lot of money but I never heard them complain nor being jealousy of others. Both of them had the gift of family and they gave the gift back to their family. I was at the house a few years ago and grandpa used to hide money upstairs. I believe it was Aunt Maureen who just found two hundred dollars upstairs. Like her mother she came down laughing and gave the money to Nana. Nana could not give the money away fast enough. She is telling Maureen to keep it, trying to give Tim and I twenties, asking who need some money. She just as easily could of given the money back to grandpa or spend it on herself but the thought never entered her mind. Her first and only thought was to give it away. In today’s society, where often life is about how much you have in material things, Nana is about helping others.
On generosity of time, most people slow down they get older, Nana picked of speed. When she moved to the nursing home in Bennington, she became the patient advocate, was on committees, played volleyball, and volunteered to help local underprivileged kids read. She loves this work of helping children and when I spoke to her she always talked about the kids. She became attached to one student and when she was in the hospital, instead of talking about how she was doing, she talked about wanting to get back to help the students.
To quote Ben Franklin and more recently Tom Brady of the patriots, “Well Done is always better than Well Said”, this represents my Nana. Nana never bragged nor said a bad thing about anything about anyone.
An athlete, Nana is great athlete. We have a lot of athletes in our family, from skiers to runners, to football players, to hockey to basketball players to golfers. Grandpa with his love of sports played a large part but don’t underestimate Nana. Nana loved to swim. Some people would see Nana with the fake knees or slumped shoulders or the need to have help getting out of chairs, I would see an athlete. My parents have a cottage on the water in New Hampshire. To get to the water you have to walk down a couple of feet of steep rocks. It would take team of my uncles, Kevin, Mike, Marc to get Nana down the rocks for fear of her falling. Once she got in the water, all could see the athlete with the different strokes and her ease and grace in the water. My aunts would be telling her not tire herself out and eventually they would drag her out of the water. Even with the walker Nana would speed around the house and nursing home. Years ago in Boston Nana jumped over a side walk. Nana and I laughed about her having both of her feet off the ground.
The love of a husband and wife, an unspoken and unbreakable bond of love. Nana and Grandpa shared an amazing love a love that continued to grow and grow. When you talk about Nana it is impossible not talk about Grandpa and vice versa. Grandpa who passed away last year is an amazing person. They were truly a team and looked out for each other. I would come to Engrem avenue and the two of them would be sitting in their easy chairs reading, doing crosswords, or watching TV and you could feel the love. They always supported each other even when would compassionately tease each other. When Nana was sick Grandpa took care of her and vice versa. You could see Nana’s passion and fire, when she took care of Grandpa after he was hit by the car. They lived in the house together a lot longer than their health should of let them, because of their love of each other plus the support of their family, they thankfully enjoyed more years in their home versus assisted living.
One of them would fall, and the other could not get them up so they would call the ambulance. They would not tell anyone and later there would be a bill or it would come up at the doctor, to the surprise of my aunts and uncles. I enjoyed these stories not because one of them fell but because of the love they share looking out for each other.
Nana’s strong voice. Nana has such a strong and distinctive voice. When she was in the ICU, I talked to my mother who told me she was not doing well, so I called her. We talked for ten minutes and she sounded great. Even last Friday with all the tubes and medication, Alex spoke with Nana on the phone and I closed my eyes and just listened, I could hear her inner fire burning. I can see Nana entering heaven and meeting Grandpa, Jesus, and St. Paul and saying ‘Hello Dear’.
I would like to ask everyone to hold hands and say the 'Hail Mary' to honor Eleanor ‘ Nana’ Daly.
Thank you for listening to me remember my favorite person in the whole world. Nana is in a better place and with grandpa and the lord and I am truly happy for her. The tears we cry are for us and missing her. I see her in our family, my mother, my brother, my aunts, my uncles, my cousins. I hope you can see a part of Nana in me. Amen.
Eleanor Daly, December 13th, 1915 - January 13th, 2008
I am Shaun Priest, Cathy’s son and Nana’s oldest grandchild. I want to thank my aunts and uncles for giving me the opportunity to talk about Eleanor from the perspective of her grandson. Eleanor is my grandmother and not only is she my favorite person in the world, she is the person I admire the most. I am truly blessed to have her as my grandmother and for her to be a part of my life for so many years. She represents all that is good in this world to me. She does this not by talking or bragging but by living the virtues of love, faith, hope, charity, all while have fun and enjoying life.
My early views of Nana is a doting mother and grandmother. My brother Timmy and I would have a great time with her playing games, playing cards, baking cookies, plus she would never tattle on us. She is a fantastic grand mother.
The reason I wanted to speak about Nana is to talk about her passion and the quiet fire burning in her soul. She is so much more to me than my grandmother. My deep admiration for Nana grew slowly and it took a while for me to see the fire quietly burning in her soul. A couple of reasons I could not see the fire is Nana is such a happy person who does not talk about herself. Nana did not drive and some of you may not know this but when I was a kid, she used to go down the stairs backwards. Timmy, Nana, and I used laugh when we would copy her going down the stairs backwards, plus Grandpa is such a strong person.
Seeing her inner strength, started for me when Nana had her first knee replacement. She was staying with us in Massachusetts and the physical therapist was at the house working with Nana on her knee. There was a scary loud pop and the therapist explained Nana was okay but it was very painful, like breaking your leg, and part of the rehabilitation process. He asked Nana is she wanted to stop and she said no and kept on with the therapy. After the session the therapist told me my grandmother was one tough and impressive woman, he said most people stop when that happens. This was my first glimpse at Nana’s toughness and her inner fire.
Her faith in Jesus and the catholic church. Nana personally helped me with my faith. Nana always supported and attended church. Nana’s faith was a bedrock of her life. When I was in high school, we went to church with her, right here at Christ the King, and as with most teenagers when kneeling at church, I would be put my butt against the pew versus kneeling straight up. I looked over at Nana, with her bad knees, she eventually had three knee replacements, and with tears are quietly rolling down her face from the pain of kneeling straight up. This showed again showed me her toughness and added to her commitment to Jesus and the church. She easily could have taken pressure off her knee by using the pew or even but not kneeling but she took the pain for the lord. For the last twenty plus years, I kneel straight up because of my grandmother and I always say a prayer for her. Nana is true Soldier of Christ.
The next piece for me is her commitment to family. Nana wrote so many letters. When I was in college, I always looked forward to her letters. At one point in my life I moved ten times in ten years and at every place, I received letters from her asking how I was doing and updating me on the family. Her penmanship was poor because of the arthritis in her hands and it never stopped her from writing. Nana wore her wedding ring on her pinky finger because her hands were so swollen from the arthritis. I smile when I think of nana at the kitchen or dinning room table writing her letters to all of her family and friends. She had so many friends and family and kept in touch with all of us.
As I was writing my notes to celebrate Nana’s life, you realize Nana had a lot of physical pain and quietly persevered through. Aunt Brenda and I say Nana is a Profile of Courage. She never complained and never let it stop her. My admiration of Nana is so much more than her preserving through physical pain. She is such a fun person. I have shared so many laughs with Nana. Whether playing Kanasta with Aunt Sheila, Marguerite, and a host of others. Sitting at the kitchen table with Nana making Thanksgiving dinner with everyone giving her advice and her joking with them. Nana telling funny stories about my mother, Cathy, growing up in Vermont. We would laugh about her love of sweets. More recently when she was sick and a patient at Rutland Regional Medical Center, the priest telling her to go to the light and her getting mad at him. Yes, she is so much fun to be around.
I was fortunate to see to Nana during her last week in Bennington, with Aunt Brenda, Aunt Peggy, and Uncle Mike. Nana is lying in bed with oxygen tubes, can hardly move, and we are all still laughing and telling stories.
Nana’s depth is so profound, her generosity of time and money. On money, Grandpa was a postman and nana a house wife, they could not of had a lot of money but I never heard them complain nor being jealousy of others. Both of them had the gift of family and they gave the gift back to their family. I was at the house a few years ago and grandpa used to hide money upstairs. I believe it was Aunt Maureen who just found two hundred dollars upstairs. Like her mother she came down laughing and gave the money to Nana. Nana could not give the money away fast enough. She is telling Maureen to keep it, trying to give Tim and I twenties, asking who need some money. She just as easily could of given the money back to grandpa or spend it on herself but the thought never entered her mind. Her first and only thought was to give it away. In today’s society, where often life is about how much you have in material things, Nana is about helping others.
On generosity of time, most people slow down they get older, Nana picked of speed. When she moved to the nursing home in Bennington, she became the patient advocate, was on committees, played volleyball, and volunteered to help local underprivileged kids read. She loves this work of helping children and when I spoke to her she always talked about the kids. She became attached to one student and when she was in the hospital, instead of talking about how she was doing, she talked about wanting to get back to help the students.
To quote Ben Franklin and more recently Tom Brady of the patriots, “Well Done is always better than Well Said”, this represents my Nana. Nana never bragged nor said a bad thing about anything about anyone.
An athlete, Nana is great athlete. We have a lot of athletes in our family, from skiers to runners, to football players, to hockey to basketball players to golfers. Grandpa with his love of sports played a large part but don’t underestimate Nana. Nana loved to swim. Some people would see Nana with the fake knees or slumped shoulders or the need to have help getting out of chairs, I would see an athlete. My parents have a cottage on the water in New Hampshire. To get to the water you have to walk down a couple of feet of steep rocks. It would take team of my uncles, Kevin, Mike, Marc to get Nana down the rocks for fear of her falling. Once she got in the water, all could see the athlete with the different strokes and her ease and grace in the water. My aunts would be telling her not tire herself out and eventually they would drag her out of the water. Even with the walker Nana would speed around the house and nursing home. Years ago in Boston Nana jumped over a side walk. Nana and I laughed about her having both of her feet off the ground.
The love of a husband and wife, an unspoken and unbreakable bond of love. Nana and Grandpa shared an amazing love a love that continued to grow and grow. When you talk about Nana it is impossible not talk about Grandpa and vice versa. Grandpa who passed away last year is an amazing person. They were truly a team and looked out for each other. I would come to Engrem avenue and the two of them would be sitting in their easy chairs reading, doing crosswords, or watching TV and you could feel the love. They always supported each other even when would compassionately tease each other. When Nana was sick Grandpa took care of her and vice versa. You could see Nana’s passion and fire, when she took care of Grandpa after he was hit by the car. They lived in the house together a lot longer than their health should of let them, because of their love of each other plus the support of their family, they thankfully enjoyed more years in their home versus assisted living.
One of them would fall, and the other could not get them up so they would call the ambulance. They would not tell anyone and later there would be a bill or it would come up at the doctor, to the surprise of my aunts and uncles. I enjoyed these stories not because one of them fell but because of the love they share looking out for each other.
Nana’s strong voice. Nana has such a strong and distinctive voice. When she was in the ICU, I talked to my mother who told me she was not doing well, so I called her. We talked for ten minutes and she sounded great. Even last Friday with all the tubes and medication, Alex spoke with Nana on the phone and I closed my eyes and just listened, I could hear her inner fire burning. I can see Nana entering heaven and meeting Grandpa, Jesus, and St. Paul and saying ‘Hello Dear’.
I would like to ask everyone to hold hands and say the 'Hail Mary' to honor Eleanor ‘ Nana’ Daly.
Thank you for listening to me remember my favorite person in the whole world. Nana is in a better place and with grandpa and the lord and I am truly happy for her. The tears we cry are for us and missing her. I see her in our family, my mother, my brother, my aunts, my uncles, my cousins. I hope you can see a part of Nana in me. Amen.
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