Birth date: Jul 26, 1935 Death date: Feb 6, 2020
Michael Oliver O’Malley, 84, of Richardson, Texas passed away on Thursday, February 06, 2020, in Dallas, Texas. He was born on Friday, July 26, 1935, to his loving and thoughtful parents, Thomas James O’Malley and Gladys Hays in B Read Obituary
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted…”
Matthew 5:4
I've had quite a bit of time to think about my grandpa since he passed away weeks ago. The distance between us meant that I couldn't spend as much time with him later in his life as I did when I was younger. But despite that, I was able to come up with numerous memories of great times spent with grandpa as well as hope and comfort for the future without him.
First off, grandpa was always a calming presence for me. When I was with grandpa (and grandma), everything was OK. I knew that there was a lot of love around me. Grandpa was always a source of information and willingly shared for all those who desired to listen. His knowledge and experience provided him with a wealth of information that he could share with me throughout my life. I have many fond memories of conversations with grandpa and the wisdom he shared.
Of the many memories I have, two will forever stick with me. First of all, I recall that I loved playing games with grandpa, specifically chess. As I recall, grandpa taught the game to me and was willing to play whenever we were able. Although, according to him and my dad, I was an expert at modifying game rules when things weren't going my way (a fact which I dispute!).
But grandpa also got me interested in coin collecting (and stamps too, for a while). I remember that grandpa would show me coins and medals from his collection and explain what they mean to him. It was clear that he didn't collect to have the largest collection, but that it was a thoughtful methodology and that coins in his collection were intentional or had meaning to him. He would send me a coin or medal as a gift and share the story behind it. Many of them were military medals, which had extra meaning to grandpa. To this day, I carry his love of coins with me. I have continued to collect and have started hand-me-down collections for when my kids are old enough to appreciate the intrinsic value of coin collecting. I have to thank grandpa for the love of coin collecting that I share today.
My memories of how grandpa treated me and how he made me feel will be with me forever. Of course, grandpa wasn't perfect but he had far more positive traits that negative ones. More importantly, he was a role model of how I want to be when I have grandchildren. My greatest hope is that my descendants can someday remember me the way that I remember grandpa. These memories and their impact will continue to live on long after grandpa had passed.
“They that love beyond the world cannot be separated by it.
Death cannot kill what never dies.”
Williams Penn
Of course, my heart is heavy after losing him several weeks ago. But I know that grandpa is in heaven, free of pain and troubles of this world, and reunited with grandma forever. The world is sad without him, but heaven is a better place with him.
“The righteous perish, and no one takes it to heart; the devout
are taken away, and no one understands that the righteous are
taken away to be spared from evil. Those who walk uprightly
enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death.”
Isaiah 57:1-2
RIP grandpa - I love you!
During one of Dad's last lucid moments, he expressed his wish to me tell his children how proud he was of each of us. He also expressed his desire to be reunited with his wife, Sarah, who preceded him in death 24 years ago. He said "she was a great woman, a great wife. I was a lucky man because I did not deserve her. She was the love of my life and I cannot wait to see her again".
Marilynn
