This is the speech I gave at my Nana’s funeral. I hope you enjoy it.
When I think of my Nana, I think of how lucky I am. I think of how lucky everyone is that had the opportunity to meet her and spend time with her. My Grandaddy is incredibly lucky to have the most loving wife any man could ever ask for. My dad, mom, Uncle Brett and Aunt Lisa are lucky to have a wonderful mother and mother-in-law who loved them unconditionally as her children. Austin, Joey, Becky, and myself are lucky to have the world’s best Nana, who loved us so, and was always proud of us. Her family and friends were more important to her than anything, and she cherished each and every moment spent with each of you. We are lucky to have had Betty Coleene Haywood in our lives, and we will be forever touched by her kindness. For the next couple of minutes, I am going to share with you some of the best memories I have of my Nana.
Nana first, and foremost, loved to shop. She enjoyed shopping with her daughter-in-laws and granddaughters. Any store would do, clothing stores, book stores, antique stores, and flea markets were always okay. When the Meijer opened up on West and Allen she was the first one in line smiling. She NEVER missed a Walmart trip, and on the day-after-thanksgiving day sales, we would pick her up at 5am, she would be there with us, fighting the crowds to get the best deal on Tickle-me-Elmo’s, prized Cabbage-Patch dolls, and the new must-have Barbie of that year.
She also loved to learn new things. She embraced every new technology that came her way. She programmed her cell phone with a song that made her dance, she could text-message like a pro, she learned how to email and “surf the net”, and also knew enough to teach her friends. Every night she would love to chat online with one of her grandkids.
She taught me many lessons about life and about what to expect in the years to come. One of the things I remember her telling me over and over again was what to expect when you grow older. She told me that it feels like you are still a child trapped in an aging body. And that always made me think of how my Nana always had child-like wonder. In any given bookstore, you would find her on the floor sitting amongst the children’s books. She always had a candy-bar in her purse, for emergencies. There was never any problem an icee couldn’t fix. If there were a new toy to buy, she would have it, even before her grandkids had one. I remember one night getting a phone call, in which my Nana directed me in an urgent voice to do the following things: “come over, bring Becky, and most importantly, bring your Furby’s!” (For those of you who don’t know, a Furby is a battery-powered talking creature.) I did as she instructed, and we arrived at her house, 15 minutes later. There was my Nana, waiting at the front door with her very own Furby, looking as excited as can be. Nana had read the instruction booklet and realized that when you have more than one Furby together, they will talk to each other. My Nana couldn’t wait for her Furby to have friends.
My Nana was always up for anything we had planned. She was a great sport. She went on almost every ride at any theme park in Florida she was taken to. She happily put on her 3-D glasses and watched the Terminator come dangerously close; she came face-to-face with a T-Rex and got soaked when we all plunged down a 84-foot vertical drop waterfall; and she and my Grandaddy fought and killed more aliens in the Men-in-Black ride than their grandkids did.
She aspired to be many things. Everyone knew she was a wonderful teacher, but few people know about her other talents. She was a writer, she loved to write children’s books, and though she was never published, she never gave up. She also loved to sing, and would encourage her kids and grandkids to explore all kinds of music. She was a great cook and baker. When my Nana set her mind on baking something, perfection was key. I can remember coming over to a kitchen that was filled with her newest “challenge”. The table, counters, and chairs would be covered. First she cooked biscuits, and then came the cornbread, followed closely by donuts, and then my personal favorite, the perfect chocolate pie.
She loved many things. She loved reading books, the Bible, watching her SOAPS during the day and 24 at night, music, the piano, writing, taking trips to Florida, Going up north to our cabin, collecting rocks, singing, quilting, cornbread, chocolate, standard poodles and chocolate labs, white cats, her Buick, butterscotch pie, planting tomato plants and lemon trees, coke icees, Meijer, toys, snowmobiling, riding her bike, going out on the boat, her friends, family, love, and life.
My Nana was a wonderful teacher. She was a wonderful person. She never spoke an ill word of anyone. She always had the nicest things to say about people. She always made you feel welcome and special. Her faith in God and her faith in people made her one of the happiest women I have ever known. She is the woman I aspire to be. She is my role model. I will always remember everything she has ever taught me, everything she has ever shown me, and everything about her. I will always love her, as I am sure you will too.
I MISS YOU NANA, YOU WILL BE FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS.