My Way - In Loving Memory

Losing a loved one is always hard.

  On October 9, 2014, I lost the man who raised me...Eladio C. Paz, Jr.   He was 73.  

He lived a full life...full of ups and downs...

and like the song says...he did it HIS WAY!

One of the hardest things I've ever had to do was give his eulogy.  

When he first came into my life at the age of 6, I won't lie...I did not like him.  It was just me and my mom & grandma, then he came into the picture and I felt like he stole my mom away from me.  He teased me all the time...I mean ALL the time!!!  I didn't see it as a child, but that was just his way of showing me that he loved me.  He accepted me like his own daughter.  He raised me and was there for me whenever I needed him.  I never called him "Dad," and now I regret that.  I do hope he knows that I consider him to be my father. 

His last few years were tough...congestive heart failure lead to him going on dialysis for over four years.  He was tired and weak.  He decided to go off dialysis early in October and do hospice care.  He hung in there for three days, before his body could not handle it anymore.  He died peacefully in the arms of my mom and my sister on a Thursday night.  We didn't expect him to go so quickly, but we are grateful he did not have to suffer for long.  

Mormon.org says:

"Death is not the end. Death is really a beginning - another step forward in Heavenly Father's plan for his children. Someday, like everyone else, your physical body will die.  But your spirit DOES NOT die, it goes into the spirit world, where you will continue to learn and progress and may be with loved ones who have passed on."

It's still hard to believe he is gone, but I know he is in a much better place now.  I know his spirit lives.  I know he has been reunited with family and friends who have gone before.  I know that they watch over us now and help protect us.  I know that he is resting peacefully in the arms of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  I am grateful for that knowledge and pray that the ones he left behind can find comfort in knowing that also.  

We are grateful for all the wonderful memories we had with you "DAD."  
We're thankful for the beautiful voice you shared with us.

We'll miss the way you made us smile.

We'll cherish every moment. 

Until we meet again...