Virginia Margaret McWilliams - Gone But Not Forgotten by Steven Skelley

Virginia Margaret McWilliams - Gone But Not Forgotten
Eulogy by Rev. Steven Skelley

One day I walked past a large stone monument. Engraved on the side were the words, "Gone but not forgotten."

Reading that inscription, I thought to myself, "How sad it would be to have lived your life only to be forgotten by those who once knew you."

Or, "How sad it would be to be remembered, but only remembered for all the wrong reasons."

There are some people, though, that don't fit into either of those categories. They may be gone but they are not forgotten. We remember them, not because of some unforgivable wrong but because they did so much right.

Today, we are here to honor one such person. I want to welcome you on behalf of the friends and family of Virginia Margaret McWilliams. Your presence here shows your love and respect for the one we all called Grandma Mac.

I thank you all for coming out to honor and pay your respects, to comfort the family and friends and even to receive comfort knowing that Grandma Mac has left us - - - for now.

The Bible reminds us that life is like a vapor. It is like a wisp of steam that "is" and then quickly evaporates. But - - - this is not the end.

You see, our bodies are temporary but our Spirits (our Souls) are eternal. They are forever.

On November 18, after 81 good years here with us, Grandma Mac passed on from this life. She will be greatly missed by family and friends. We were all bettered because of the time she was allowed to spend with us.

Let us choose to remember the good times.

Virginia Margaret McWilliams raised some of us.

She babysat some of us.

She befriended some of us.

And in my case, she even paddled some of us! I am both amused and honored to know that, in her 81 years, I was the only child this person who didn't believe in spanking ever spanked. It was only once and I was wearing a large, padded diaper at the time, she said. She also said that I definitely deserved it!

Grandma Mac was someone who could make us feel at home even if we weren't at home. I am sure we will all remember that when it was time to leave, if we made the mistake of saying, "Goodbye," she would always correct us and remind us that, "This isn't goodbye. It's just a See-You-Later." And then she would give us her wonderful hugs and kisses.

Virginia Margaret McWilliams is gone.

For now.

But not forever.

We take comfort in knowing that this wasn't the end. It was merely a change of address.

As we leave here today, let us honor Virginia Margaret McWilliams (Grandma Mac) by remembering her words, "This isn't goodbye! It's just another See-You-Later!"

We'll see you later, Grandma Mac.


****Steven Skelley is a published author of several nonfiction works and the novella The Gargoyle Scrolls. He has been a newspaper columnist, travel writer, news writer, ordained minister, music director, creative arts director, theater reviewer and tennis instructor.