Kathy, there aren't any words to convey how very sorry I am for your loss. I wish you and your family all the peace and hope in the world!
Stella's Social Club
- Thread starter The Sheriff
- Start date
Fred, Rob, and all of you - - - THANK YOU ! !
Your words are comforting to me.
Today was busy. So so busy....
We took clothes to the funeral home. THe last clothes I will ever see my son in.
We had to order flowers. Flowers for your son's funeral? NOOOOO - how?
You would never believe this casket. It is totally special. A man came in to the funeral home while we were making arrangements and demanded to purchase this casket for Michael. A local man. A farmer. Yet another friend. He, just like everyone that ever met him, loved Michael. He said (paraphrasing here), "I want to buy the best casket you have for this man, as he deserves only the best. A military style if you have it. He is a Ranger, you know. One of the best. If you do not have one, and you can order one, I wish that to be done." The order was put in and the man paid an addition $1,000. for the casket to be delivered overnight from Chicago. I wish I could express in words what a wonderful man my oldest son was.
Michael was an Airborne Ranger in the Army. PROUD is not even a strong enough word. He LOVED being a Ranger, a military man, a vet. He was highly decorated, and saught after even when he retired. He loved his country like no other. "HIS" country! He was proud to serve and protect. He often ended his conversations or messages with, "Ranger Out."
This guy, Darin, also had shirts made. Many shirts..... a picture of Michael on the back, and a saying.... "Ranger Out." On the front they say, "Coach Bonham 5/22/72-6/5/13"
The casket is a military one.... USArmy seal on top. Oh my.... Oh my... Oh my. Michael would love it. He loved the red, white, and blue.
(If you find this too morbid, I will remove it. It is empty here.)
Michael was sooooo loved, by soooo many.
I could bore you to tears with stories. haha
Tomorrow I will see him. I will see my boy in his casket. Ohhhh...
Your words are comforting to me.
Today was busy. So so busy....
We took clothes to the funeral home. THe last clothes I will ever see my son in.
We had to order flowers. Flowers for your son's funeral? NOOOOO - how?
You would never believe this casket. It is totally special. A man came in to the funeral home while we were making arrangements and demanded to purchase this casket for Michael. A local man. A farmer. Yet another friend. He, just like everyone that ever met him, loved Michael. He said (paraphrasing here), "I want to buy the best casket you have for this man, as he deserves only the best. A military style if you have it. He is a Ranger, you know. One of the best. If you do not have one, and you can order one, I wish that to be done." The order was put in and the man paid an addition $1,000. for the casket to be delivered overnight from Chicago. I wish I could express in words what a wonderful man my oldest son was.
Michael was an Airborne Ranger in the Army. PROUD is not even a strong enough word. He LOVED being a Ranger, a military man, a vet. He was highly decorated, and saught after even when he retired. He loved his country like no other. "HIS" country! He was proud to serve and protect. He often ended his conversations or messages with, "Ranger Out."
This guy, Darin, also had shirts made. Many shirts..... a picture of Michael on the back, and a saying.... "Ranger Out." On the front they say, "Coach Bonham 5/22/72-6/5/13"
The casket is a military one.... USArmy seal on top. Oh my.... Oh my... Oh my. Michael would love it. He loved the red, white, and blue.
(If you find this too morbid, I will remove it. It is empty here.)
Michael was sooooo loved, by soooo many.
I could bore you to tears with stories. haha
Tomorrow I will see him. I will see my boy in his casket. Ohhhh...
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What a wonderful thing that friend did for Michael. I am just blown away by his generosity and his creativity. The shirts with "Ranger Out," are so touching and such a display of unity. Michael surely had (has) the best of friends. With every detail you reveal, I feel so close to Michael, a man I never knew. I'm sure the rest of us are feeling the same.
Kathy you would never bore us with stories of your son, it fleshes him out to us so he is no longer a name. He is a man we wish we had met. Love to you and Michael and the family.
Kathy you would never bore us with stories of your son, it fleshes him out to us so he is no longer a name. He is a man we wish we had met. Love to you and Michael and the family.
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- Thread starter
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Oh Kathy. Your strength is amazing. I am a puddle of melted jello, crying like a baby.
It has been two years since I have seen my son. He called yesterday to say he is coming to visit June 25th-30th. I will probably hug him so hard he breaks.
Your son sounds like a very fine and honorable man. Please don't take the picture down. Stella makes the rules here and she says it stays. I cannot imagine what tomorrow will be like for you but please know that your friends are holding you up, from every corner of the USA.
It has been two years since I have seen my son. He called yesterday to say he is coming to visit June 25th-30th. I will probably hug him so hard he breaks.
Your son sounds like a very fine and honorable man. Please don't take the picture down. Stella makes the rules here and she says it stays. I cannot imagine what tomorrow will be like for you but please know that your friends are holding you up, from every corner of the USA.
Ahhh, I failed to tell you the gift the good Lord gave me, before taking Michael home.
He gave me a few days with him! Brittney had the car accident and ended up in Kansas City hospital. Michael picked her up and drove her home. He wanted to stay a few days to help us. And he did. 5 days, I think. He came down on his birthday. The day before he left, it was odd - Brittney said she wanted to go to her own home, her own bed. I was concerned about that, worried about her need to be on bedrest. Anyway, she went home. Michael packed her up and took her. He returned with the biggest smile! He threw his arms up in the air and said, "MOM! MOM! We are alone. We can talk all night like we used to. It has been so long." Michael and I used to chat the night away.......
Anyway, we did. We talked and talked and talked. I showed him a Bible Study Book I was reading from. It was getting late. He said, "Read to me, mom. Read it to me." He sat in the recliner as I read aloud from the couch. After about an hour he said, "I want a book like that, mom. Can you get me a copy?" It is an ebook that I had printed off the computer. I made him a copy to take home. His routine at home was to read Bible stories to his 2 kids before bed each night. This is a new routine he started with them a couple months ago. Their mama works nights, so he always had bedtime duty.
The next day he was to go home. He kept saying, "I don't wanna go, Mom. I don't wanna go. I love it here. I love being with you." We laughed and we cried. He did not leave until 5PM ! He said he would be back in a couple weeks, with his 2 kids. Mike (my husband) was working out of town. Michael said he would come down when his dad was not there, (all in the name of helping with Brittney).
I can not count how many times Michael walked up to me and hugged and hugged me those 2 days. "I love you mom. I love you so much. I can not bear to think about losing my parents EVER." We had talked about life on earth being so minute compared to eternity in heaven. He said, "I don't care how short this time may be, I just can not even think of life without my parents." He was ever so greatful for his childhood and his life. He had big plans for the future. Things were all working out well for him.
I gave him some family heirlooms. He loved, "treasures," and I was ready to part with them. No one is more thankful, greatful, and appreciative than my boy. He is truely genuine. He is, "all that and a bag of chips!"
Kids..... oh my word.... kids LOVE him and flock to him. We all teased him that it is because he is nothing but a big kid himself and never grew up. He love love loves the children.
Cute girls could talk him into anything. Seee.......
It is 215AM. I will see Michael at 11AM. This will be the last time. The casket will then be closed. Michael had made his wishes known, that if he ever died young, he would not ever want his boys (little kids wrestling team) to see him in a casket, but only wanted them to remember him as their coach - full of life.
Sooo, for the children, as there will be so many there, the casket will be closed.
He gave me a few days with him! Brittney had the car accident and ended up in Kansas City hospital. Michael picked her up and drove her home. He wanted to stay a few days to help us. And he did. 5 days, I think. He came down on his birthday. The day before he left, it was odd - Brittney said she wanted to go to her own home, her own bed. I was concerned about that, worried about her need to be on bedrest. Anyway, she went home. Michael packed her up and took her. He returned with the biggest smile! He threw his arms up in the air and said, "MOM! MOM! We are alone. We can talk all night like we used to. It has been so long." Michael and I used to chat the night away.......
Anyway, we did. We talked and talked and talked. I showed him a Bible Study Book I was reading from. It was getting late. He said, "Read to me, mom. Read it to me." He sat in the recliner as I read aloud from the couch. After about an hour he said, "I want a book like that, mom. Can you get me a copy?" It is an ebook that I had printed off the computer. I made him a copy to take home. His routine at home was to read Bible stories to his 2 kids before bed each night. This is a new routine he started with them a couple months ago. Their mama works nights, so he always had bedtime duty.
The next day he was to go home. He kept saying, "I don't wanna go, Mom. I don't wanna go. I love it here. I love being with you." We laughed and we cried. He did not leave until 5PM ! He said he would be back in a couple weeks, with his 2 kids. Mike (my husband) was working out of town. Michael said he would come down when his dad was not there, (all in the name of helping with Brittney).
I can not count how many times Michael walked up to me and hugged and hugged me those 2 days. "I love you mom. I love you so much. I can not bear to think about losing my parents EVER." We had talked about life on earth being so minute compared to eternity in heaven. He said, "I don't care how short this time may be, I just can not even think of life without my parents." He was ever so greatful for his childhood and his life. He had big plans for the future. Things were all working out well for him.
I gave him some family heirlooms. He loved, "treasures," and I was ready to part with them. No one is more thankful, greatful, and appreciative than my boy. He is truely genuine. He is, "all that and a bag of chips!"
Kids..... oh my word.... kids LOVE him and flock to him. We all teased him that it is because he is nothing but a big kid himself and never grew up. He love love loves the children.
Cute girls could talk him into anything. Seee.......
It is 215AM. I will see Michael at 11AM. This will be the last time. The casket will then be closed. Michael had made his wishes known, that if he ever died young, he would not ever want his boys (little kids wrestling team) to see him in a casket, but only wanted them to remember him as their coach - full of life.
Sooo, for the children, as there will be so many there, the casket will be closed.
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Kathy such a beautiful story, the kind you read with a smile on your face and tears in your eyes.
......exactly.......
Kathy, even in your sorrow, your story and that picture sure put a smile on my face as well as tears in my eyes. Your son was a special man.
Grieve not, nor speak of me with tears,
But laugh and talk about me as if I were beside you.
I loved you so...
'Twas heaven here with you.
I. P. Richardson
Grieve not, nor speak of me with tears,
But laugh and talk about me as if I were beside you.
I loved you so...
'Twas heaven here with you.
I. P. Richardson
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X3- tears running down my face. You are so blessed.
Yes, Exactly how I am feeling <3
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