Funeral Verses

A Face We Love

A face we love is missing, a voice we love is still, a place is vacant in our hearts, that no one else can fill.

A Golden Heart Stopped Beating

A golden heart stopped beating,
two hands were laid to rest,
God broke our hearts to prove,
He only takes the best.
If tears could build a stairway,
and memories build a lane,
we would walk right up to heaven
and bring you back again.

A Life Well Lived

A life well-lived is a precious gift
Of hope and strength and grace,
From someone who has made our world
A brighter, better place.

It’s filled with moments sweet and sad,
With smiles and sometimes tears,
With friendships formed and good times shared
And laughter through the years.

A life well-lived is a legacy
Of joy and pride and pleasure,
A loving, lasting memory
Our grateful hearts will treasure.

A Special Mum

A Mother is the greatest gift – a gift meaning love,
Her love is unconditional and it fits just like a glove.

From day one it’s always mum who’s there by your side,
Picking up the pieces and wiping the tears you’ve cried.

Who was there when you rode your first bike,
And listened when you told her about the boy you liked?

She encourages you all the time to do your very best,
Even when you don’t succeed – she picks you above the rest.

Then comes that awful day when you tell her to stay out of your life,
But notice how she’s the one to bail you out of strife.

Then you find true love and your mother must learn to share,
This can be difficult and it may seem quite unfair.

As you get older you realise that your relationship can be fun,
So you make amends and say you’re sorry for all that you’ve done.

She now becomes your best friend and you tell her how much you care,
And thank her over and over for always being there.

Most of these experiences for me are yet to come,
All I wish for is to be half as good – as my special mum.

Tracy Kollmann

A Special Smile

A special smile,
a special face,
and in our hearts,
a special place.

A Wonderful Man

A wonderful man laid to rest
For everyone he did his best
His deeds were good
His heart was kind
A better husband and dad
No-one could find

Loved by all who knew him

Sadly missed – Sleep peacefully

A Wonderful Woman

A wonderful woman laid to rest
For everyone she did her best
Her deeds were good
Her heart was kind
A better wife and mother
No-one could find

Loved by all who knew her

Sadly missed – Sleep peacefully

Afterglow

I’d like the memory of me
to be a happy one,
I’d like to leave an afterglow
of smiles when life is done,
I’d like to leave an echo
whispering softly down the ways,
of happy times and laughing times
and bright and sunny days,
I’d like the tears of those who grieve,
to dry before the sun
of happy memories that I leave
when life is done.

As Long As You Live And Remember

May tender memories soften your grief,
May fond recollection bring you relief,
And may you find comfort and peace in the thought,
Of the joy that knowing your loved one brought –
For time and space can never divide,
Or keep your loved one from your side,
When memory paints in colours true,
The happy hours that belonged to you.

Helen Steiner Rice

Beautiful Memories

Beautiful memories woven in gold,
this is the picture we tenderly hold,
deep in our hearts your memory is kept,
to love, cherish and never forget.

Count Your Garden By The Flowers

Count your garden by the flowers,
Never by the leaves that fall.
Count your days by golden hours,
Don’t remember clouds at all.
Count your nights by stars, not shadows.
Count your life by smiles not tears
And with joy on every birthday.
Count your age by friends, not years.

Dads Are Special People

Dads are special people,
No home should be without.
For every family will agree,
They’re so nice to have about.

They are a happy mixture,
Of a small boy and a man
And they’re very necessary,
In every family plan.

Sometimes they’re most demanding
And stern and firm and tough,
But underneath they’re soft as silk,
For this is just a bluff.

But in any kind of trouble,
Dad reaches out his hand
And you can always count on him,
To help and understand.

And while we do not praise Dad,
As often as we should,
We love him and admire him,
And while that’s understood.

It’s only fair to emphasise,
His importance and his worth,
For if there were no loving Dads,
This would be a loveless earth.

Death Is Nothing At All

Death is nothing at all;
I have only slipped away into the next room.
Whatever we were to each other, that we are still.
Call me by my old familiar name;
Speak to me in the easy way you always used.
Laugh as we always laughed
at the little jokes we enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me, and pray for me.
Let my name be the household word that it always was.
Let it be spoken without effect.
Life means all that it ever meant.
It is the same that it ever was;
there is absolutely unbroken continuity.
Why should I be out of your mind
because I am out of your sight?
I am but waiting for you, for an interval,
somewhere very near just around the corner.
All is well. Nothing is past; nothing is lost.
One brief moment and all will be as it was before,
only better, infinitely happier and forever,
we will be one together with Christ.

Do Not Cry For My Absence

Do not cry for my absence
feel me close and still
talk to me.
I will love you from heaven
as I have loved you
on earth.

Do Not Mourn Too Long (Dad)

Do not mourn too long
for our caring father,
but honour his memory
with a promise to live a little better
for having known him.
It will enrich his life and yours,
for Dad’s legacy will live on.

Do Not Mourn Too Long (Mum)

Do not mourn too long
for our caring mother,
but honour her memory
with a promise to live a little better
for having known her.
It will enrich her life and yours,
for Mum’s legacy will live on.

Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep

Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am the thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain,
I am the gentle Autumn’s rain.
When you awake in the morning hush,
I am the swift uplifting rush
of quiet birds in circling flight.
I am the soft star that shines at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there, I did not die.

Do Not Weep

Do not weep that I have gone,
‘Be Glad’ that I have been.

For I have known life to its fullest measure,
I have felt pain and I have known pleasure.

Tears I have cried in grief and in laughter,
I have known love and all that comes after.

I’ve tasted the salt and bitterness of tears,
I’ve walked in the rain when the day is done,
Felt a soft summer breeze,
And the warmth of the sun.

I’ve sat by the sea and heard the waves pound,
Held the hand that is friendship,
its richness abound.

Yes, I have known life, and I will learn death,
So weep not for me that I have gone,
But ‘Be Glad’ that I have been
And that I have known you.

Do Not Weep That I Have Gone

Do not weep that I have gone,
But rejoice that I have been.
For I have known life to its fullest measure,
I have felt pain and I have known pleasure.
Tears I have cried in grief and in laughter,
I have known love and all that comes after.
I’ve tasted the salt and the bitterness of tears,
I’ve walked in the rain when the day is done,
Felt a soft summer breeze, the warmth of the sun.
I’ve sat by the sea and heard the waves pound,
Held the hand that is friendship, its richness abound.
Yes, I have known life, and I will learn death,
So weep not for me that I have gone,
But rejoice that I have been,
And that I have known you.

Footprints

One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was
walking along the beach with the LORD.
Across the sky flashed scenes from his life.
For each scene, he noticed two sets
of footprints in the sand; one belonging to him,
and the other to the LORD.

When the last scene of his life flashed before him,
he looked back at the footprints in the sand.
He noticed that many times along the path
of his life there was only one set of footprints.
He also noticed that it happened at the very
lowest and saddest times in his life.

This really bothered him and he questioned
the LORD about it. “LORD, You said that
once I decided to follow You, You’d walk with me
all the way. But I noticed that during the most
troublesome times in my life, there is only
one set of footprints. I don’t understand why
when I needed You most You would leave me.”

The LORD replied, “My precious, precious child,
I love you and I would never leave you.
During your times of trial and suffering,
when you see only one set of footprints,
it was then that I carried you.”

Forever In Our Hearts

In tears we saw you sinking,
and watched you pass away.
Our hearts were almost broken,
we wanted you to stay.
But when we saw you sleeping,
so peaceful, free from pain,
How could we wish you back with us,
to suffer that again.
It broke our hearts to lose you,
but you did not go alone,
For part of us went with you,
you are forever in our hearts.

He Is Gone

You can shed tears that he is gone,
Or you can smile because he has lived.

You can close your eyes and pray that he’ll come back,
Or you can open your eyes and see all he’s left.

Your heart can be empty because you can’t see him,
Or you can be full of the love you shared.

You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday,
Or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.

You can remember him and only that he’s gone,
Or you can cherish his memory and let it live on.

You can cry and close your mind,
be empty and turn your back,
Or you can do what he’d want:
smile, open your eyes, love and go on.

He Only Takes The Best

God saw you getting tired
And a cure was not to be
So he put his arms around you
And whispered, come with me.
With tearful eyes we watched you
And saw you pass away
And although we really loved you
We would not make you stay.
A golden heart stopped beating
Hard working hands at rest
God broke our hearts to prove to us
He only takes the best.

Her Journey’s Just Begun

Don’t think of her as gone away
Her journey’s just begun
Life holds so many facets
This earth is only one.

Just think of her as resting
From the sorrows and the tears
In a place of warmth and comfort
Where there are no days and years.

Think how she must be wishing
That we could know today
How nothing but our sadness
can really pass away.

And think of her as living
In the hearts of those she touched
For nothing loved is ever lost
And she was loved so much.

His Journey’s Just Begun

Don’t think of him as gone away
His journey’s just begun
Life holds so many facets
This earth is only one.

Just think of him as resting
From the sorrows and the tears
In a place of warmth and comfort
Where there are no days and years.

Think how he must be wishing
That we could know today
How nothing but our sadness
can really pass away.

And think of him as living
In the hearts of those he touched
For nothing loved is ever lost
And he was loved so much.

I Did Not Die

Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glimpsed on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning’s hush,
I am the swift uplifting rush
of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there, I did not die.

I Will Be There

And if I go,
while you’re still here …
know that I live on,
vibrating to a different measure
– behind a thin veil you
cannot see through.
You will not see me,
so you must have faith.
I wait for the time when we can
soar together again
– both aware of each other.
Until then, live your life
to its fullest.
And when you need me,
just whisper my name
in your heart …
I will be there.

I’m Free

Don’t grieve for me, for now I’m free.
I’m following the path God laid for me.
I took God’s hand when I heard the call;
I turned my back and left it all.

I could not stay another day
To laugh, to love, to work or play.
Tasks left undone must stay that way,
I found that place at the close of day.

If my parting has left a void,
Then fill it with remembered joy.
A friendship shared, a laugh, a kiss.
Ah yes, these things, I too, will miss.

Be not burdened with times of sorrow,
I wish you the sunshine of tomorrow.
My life’s been full, I savoured much,
Good friends, good times, a loved one’s touch.

Perhaps my time seemed all too brief;
don’t lengthen it now with undue grief.
Lift up your heart and share with me.
God wanted me now, God set me free.

If Roses Grow in Heaven

If roses grow in heaven,
Lord, please pick a bunch for me,
Place them in my Mother’s arms
And tell her they’re from me.

Tell her I love her and miss her,
And when she turns to smile,
Place a kiss upon her cheek
And hold her for a while.

Because remembering her is easy,
I do it every day,
But there’s an ache within my heart
That will never go away.

Anonymous

Impressions Of A Pilot

Flight is freedom in its purest form,
To dance with the clouds which follow a storm;
To roll and glide, to wheel and spin,
To feel the joy that swells within.

To leave the earth with its troubles and fly,
And know the warmth of a clear spring sky;
Then back to earth at the end of the day,
Released from the tensions which melted away.

Should my end come while I am in flight,
Whether brightest day or darkest night;
Spare me your pity and shrug off the pain,
Secure in the knowledge that I’d do it again.

For each of us is created to die,
And within me I know,
I was born to fly.

Gary Claude Stoker

In Our Hearts

We thought of you with love today,
But that is nothing new,
We thought about you yesterday
And days before that too.
We think of you in silence,
We often speak your name,
Now all we have is memories
And your picture in a frame.
Your memory is our keepsake,
With which we’ll never part,
God has you in His keeping,
We have you in our hearts.

Irish Blessing

May the road rise up to meet you,
May the wind always be at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
May the rains fall soft upon your fields,
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.

Miss Me But Let Me Go

When I come to the end of the road,
And the sun has set for me,
I want no rites in a gloom filled room,
Why cry for a soul set free.

Miss me a little – but not too long,
And not with your head bowed low.
Remember the love that we once shared,
Miss me – but let me go.

For this is a journey that we all must take,
And each must go alone.
It’s all part of the Master’s plan,
A step on the road to home.

When you’re lonely and sick of heart,
Go to the friends we know,
And lose your sorrows in doing good deeds,
Miss me – but let me go.

Moving On (Female)

You can shed tears that she is gone,
Or you can smile because she has lived.

You can close your eyes and pray that she’ll come back,
Or you can open your eyes and see all she’s left.

Your heart can be empty because you can’t see her,
Or you can be full of the love you shared.

You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday,
Or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.

You can remember her and only that she’s gone,
Or you can cherish her memory and let it live on.

You can cry and close your mind,
be empty and turn your back,
Or you can do what she’d want:
smile, open your eyes, love and go on.

Moving On (Male)

You can shed tears that he is gone,
Or you can smile because he has lived.

You can close your eyes and pray that he’ll come back,
Or you can open your eyes and see all he’s left.

Your heart can be empty because you can’t see him,
Or you can be full of the love you shared.

You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday,
Or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.

You can remember him and only that he’s gone,
Or you can cherish his memory and let it live on.

You can cry and close your mind,
be empty and turn your back,
Or you can do what he’d want:
smile, open your eyes, love and go on.

Mums Are Special People

Mums are special people
No home should be without
For every family will agree
They’re so nice to have about

They are a happy mixture
Of a small girl and a woman
And they’re very necessary
In every family plan

Sometimes they’re most demanding
And stern and firm and tough
But underneath they’re soft as silk
For this is just a bluff

But in any kind of trouble
Mum reaches out her hand
And you can always count on her
To help and understand

And while we do not praise Mum
As often as we should
We love her and admire her
And while that’s understood

It’s only fair to emphasise
Her importance and her worth
For if there were no loving Mums
This would be a loveless earth.

One At Rest

Think of me as one at rest, for me you should not weep,
I have no pain, no troubled thoughts for I am just asleep.
The living, thinking, me that was, is now forever still.
And life goes on without me, as time forever will.

If your heart is heavy now, because I’ve gone away,
dwell not long upon it friend, for none of us can stay.
Those of you who liked me, I sincerely thank you all,
and those of you who loved me, I thank you most of all.

The answer to life’s riddle, in life I never knew,
I go with hope that now I will, and even so will you.
Oh, foolish, foolish me that was, I who was so small,
To have wondered, even worried at the mystery of it all.

And in my fleeting life span, as time went rushing by,
I found some time to hesitate, to laugh, to love, to cry.
Matters it now if time began, if time will ever cease?
I was here, I used it all, and now I am at peace.

One At Rest

Think of me as one at rest
for me you should not weep,
I have no pain no troubled thoughts
for I am just asleep.
The living thinking me that was,
is now forever still.
And life goes on without me
as time forever will.
If your heart is heavy now
because I’ve gone away,
dwell not long upon it friend
for none of us can stay.
Those of you who liked me
I sincerely thank you all,
and those of you who loved me
I thank you most of all.

Out Of This World Of Suffering

Out of this world of suffering,
into God’s garden of rest,
it must be a beautiful garden,
because He always takes the best.

She Is Gone

You can shed tears that she is gone,
Or you can smile because she has lived.

You can close your eyes and pray that she’ll come back,
Or you can open your eyes and see all she’s left.

Your heart can be empty because you can’t see her,
Or you can be full of the love you shared.

You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday,
Or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.

You can remember her and only that she’s gone,
Or you can cherish her memory and let it live on.

You can cry and close your mind,
be empty and turn your back,
Or you can do what she’d want:
smile, open your eyes, love and go on.