Celebration of life speech

Hi, everyone. I'm Rebecca, Linda's daughter. Thank you for being here. Mom made us promise that there would be no gloomy funeral and plenty of food, so we are keeping that promise today. In a few minutes, a few of her friends will share stories, and then the microphone is open to anyone who wants to add one. The bar is open, the playlist is hers, and yes, there will be disco. Welcome to Linda's party.

Thank you for coming. I'm Paul, Ann's husband. Ann didn't want a traditional service, but she loved having all of you in one place. So that's what we're doing: being together, telling stories, and remembering her. There's no program. Take your time, eat something, and when you're ready, share a memory.

If you ever went out on the lake with Dave, you called him Captain. He insisted. He had a twelve-foot aluminum boat with a motor that worked about half the time, and he treated it like an aircraft carrier.

I'm Steve. Dave and I worked together at the county road department for twenty-six years, and fished together for twenty-five of them. The first year, we were just coworkers. By the second summer, I was assigned to the boat.

Here is what you need to know about fishing with Dave. We never caught much. We talked about everything. Our kids, our marriages, our bad backs, football. When my wife was sick, it was the only place I could say out loud how scared I was. Dave never gave advice. He handed me a sandwich, cast his line, and said, "Keep talking." So I did.

That's who he was at work too. The guy you went to when something was wrong. Not to fix it. To keep talking.

Dave, I'm keeping the boat. It still doesn't start. I'll row. And I'll keep talking.

Everybody, grab a drink. To Captain Dave.

Joanne never missed a party, a birthday or a chance to tell you that you looked tired. Raise a glass, and let's look a little less tired for her. To Joanne.

I'm Tom, from across the street. When our basement flooded, Bob was there with a pump before we'd even called. He said he'd heard us yelling. He never admitted he'd been watching the weather for us.

Thank you for every story today. Some of them we'd never heard, and a few Mom definitely didn't want us to hear. We'll keep all of them. Please stay as long as you like, and take some flowers home. She'd want them in your kitchen, not on a table.