Paul Ransom's eulogy
Last night, I was ready to give my speech about my father Maury. I had a topic picked out, and I knew that I'd do a good job. Then suddenly I heard the little tooting sounds that Maury used to make, and I realized I couldn't do my original topic. Thoughts and feelings flew into my head, phrases of a speech stopped making sense, and those tooting sounds wouldn't leave me alone.
So I had to think deeply about my life with Maury, because I wanted to share with you something we experience every day. It evokes our deepest emotions, understands us like no person can. When we are sad, it has the words that fit our mood. When we are happy, it has the uplifting feel that makes us smile. It surpasses language barriers, it creates in us inspiration that we cannot even begin to explain.
It is music. Music, the force that we all encouter every day. Music isn't something that we can always comprehend on a conscious level. Rather, it is something that our soul understands, something that our emotions recognize.
Music is a thread that ran through out my life with Maury, from the moment of my earliest memories to the last fleeting moments of my time with Maury. Music is something that gave Maury the greatest joy. Playing the piano, listening to the opera, and spending many days and hours in the church choir, right here, in this sanctuary. He loved to entertain and even though he played the same tunes over and over, I loved to listen.
Yes, music is a language in itself: the language of emotion. We may not understand the words being sung, we may not even hear words, but there is feeling in the notes. The memory of the gentle tinkling of the piano keys mixed with his resonating hum was the language of his love, and it was infectuous. My blues guitar notes are an echo of his joy. Gary's great classical piano is a triumphant exclamation of his memory. Lisa's nurturing melodies is a reflection of his wonderful melodies. And on it goes through the next generation and the one following that one. Do you understand the meaning of these words? There is no need to. Coupled with a simple musical prhase, those little toots signify the love, loneliness, pain, and hope of life.
The language of emotion. Maury was a music man. He found his music in every living creature, every object, every heartbeat. Listen to the birds chirping, singing theri sweet melody. Imagine Maury in God's choir chirping and tooting. Imagine every sound, every tiny noise, every rhythm containing Maury's spirit.
On our yearly trip to Yosemite, one of Maury's greatest joys was to stand and join hands with friends and family and sing Kum By Ya. To celebrate his love for all of us let's do it. Please rise and join hands and sing Kum By Ya.