Kyrie's Service

Family Church made for a beautiful setting for Kyrie's funeral service. Through the front door, we put together a beautiful display with a special quilt from Kyrie's room and a four-panel photo collage.









The bundles and bouquets of flowers were simply beautiful.


The service began with "Visitor from Heaven," a song by Twila Paris. The pastor read scriptures and led us in prayer. Pastor Baker shared many memories of Kyrie from Jordan and Lacie, including letters written to Kyrie from both of them before she was born. Then we all tried to sing "Jesus Loves Me." I've never sounded worse.

I put together a video montage of Kyrie photos that was also played at her service. Jordan has asked that I share that with you all, so look for a posting with it soon.

The pastor read letters to Kyrie written by Jordan and Lacie after she had passed, too. None of us, including Pastor Baker, made it through without tears.

After the closing prayer, we all silently made our way to the parking lot for the funeral motorcade to the cemetery. The mortuary hired funeral escort vehicles that were spot on. These three lighted, sirened para-police vans were incredible at stopping traffic, holding intersections and gently guiding the mile-long stretch of cars to the cemetery. A job very well done.

All of Kyrie's uncles were her casket bearers, and once they placed her carefully under the tent and after a few words were said, her visitors released pink balloons into the cloudy sky.


No one said a word. We just watched the sprinkling of pink balloon slowly drift further and further upward.

Funerals seem to turn memories into blazing images pressed against the inside of our eyelids. Mere glimpses of the beloved, moments you may have missed, take on new importance, new meaning. In this case, not only is it Kyrie, but it's also what she represents. I think of every parent who has lost a child and what they remember.

Papa Thome shared some of his reflections with me:

Some Things I Remember about My Granddaughter, age 19 months.

1) Her dadda knew for a long time that he wanted her, even before he met her mommy.
2) Mom's due date was around the first week of September--Labor Day--how appropriate.
3) Born with dark hair and blue eyes in family of blondes girls. How beautiful she would be, a brunette with blue eyes. But the hair began to lighten, naturally, just like her dadda's did when he was a baby.
4) Her "spider crawl," just hands and feet, no knees--she could go faster that way. And her first adventure: climbing up the stairs from the basement and being a little stinker about it.
5) Kyrie's first birthday party and Great Nana and Great Papa's: a house full of people and Kyrie the star attraction. Presents and gifts that could equal three Christmases and Kyrie trying to boogie to a musical birthday card.
6) Her first steps at my house just after her birthday when she would try to walk to the patio door to see "Woof-woof," Elvis the stray hound. With her face pressed against the glass, Kyrie wanting to go out and Elvis wanting to come in.
7) Christmas 2006, when she met her first crush that I know of, a big stuffed, soft, fluffly pup named Dog. He was with her till she left us.
8) The day Jordan told me that there was something different going on and to pray for her. They were going to the doctor.
9) The insuing days at the hospital with the news, none of good, but there was still hope.
10) One special day at the hospital, after being poked and prodded, she looked at me with those big, baby blues and said, "Papa." I didn't catch it at first, but Lacie did and repeated it to me.
11) And today, as a multitude of pink balloons lifted to the sky, I think I hear "Papa" again.