Grandma Attarahs Funeral

This is also a post by my sister Melanie Swinson. I know this is my blog, but her words are better than mine:

On Friday, Pete, Caroline, and I returned from the funeral of Grandma Dewhurst in West Virginia. It was a sad but wonderful trip as we mourned the death and celebrated the life of my beloved grandmother.


The wake was held on Wednesday evening at the Foglesong-Tucker Funeral Home in Mason, West Virginia, and the funeral was held at 11:00 AM on Thursday morning at the same place. The following poem was included in the small memento handed out at the visitation. I think it sums up my grandmother perfectly.

HE TAKES ONLY THE BEST

God saw she was getting tired
and a cure was not to be.
So He put His arms around her
and whispered, "Come with me."

With tear filled eyes we watched her suffer
and saw her fade away.
Although we loved her deeply,
We could not make her stay.

A golden heart stopped beating,
Hard working hands put to rest,
God broke our hearts to prove to us
He only takes the best.

Author Unknown



After the service and burial, the West Virginia State Farm Museum held a luncheon in honor of Grandma Dewhurst for friends and family to celebrate her life. Grandma Dewhurst loved working in the kitchen at the Farm Museum, and some of my fondest memories are of her serving us fresh hot yeast rolls, noodles, and "taco in a bag" during the state fair when we would visit in the summers.



On a random note, the pictures in the blog were taken respectfully by my sister, Stefanie. They remarkably capture the heartache of our family and the peace we have of Grandma Dewhurst truly being in a better place.




The picture above was taken in the oldest part of my grandmother's home, a part built in the 1800s. The organ you see provided numerous hours of "music" for my siblings and cousins when we would come for Thanksgiving and it was too cold to play outside. The top photograph you see is an arial shot of part of the Dewhurst farm, and the bottom painting is of Grandma Dewhurst's father, Van Roush.


I am so thankful to have had twenty-four years with Grandma Dewhurst. She was a sweet lady, a wonderful, caring, and compassionate mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, wife, friend, and so much more. Thank you, Lord, for blessing us with her, and thank you for taking her home to be with You