Tribute Speech

“If you ever wonder why bad things happen to good people, it’s because God knows they’re capable of handling it.” Reading this quote makes me think of someone who was very special in my life, because she was able to handle things anyone else might think are unbearable. That person was my grandma Marilyn Doyle. She had many influences on me, a few are how she had such an open heart, was very accepting, and she was very confident in what she believed in. It’s incredibly difficult to put into words how much she really meant to me. She had a genuine smile, which flashes into my head every time I think of her. She was a very strong-willed, independent, and a loving person. Although I didn’t get to spend as much time with her as I would have liked to, I felt as though we had a very special relationship.
My grandma was born on October 20th, 1941, and grew up on a farm in Epiphany. She worked at the Canova and Mitchell bank, and was also a substitute teacher. My grandparents lived on a farm outside of Alex. She and my grandpa had 6 children together. She also had 13 grandchildren. She was always doing something if it was from going to her grandchildren’s’ sporting events, to cooking amazing meals. She was a very faithful catholic. My grandma was a member of the Red Hat Club, and was also a CCD teacher. I met my grandma when I was 5 years old, and coming into a new family with my mom I remember her accepting me as her granddaughter right away. She always made me feel like I belonged in the Doyle family. One of my favorite things to do was to go out to her house and help her make supper and spend the night. I could talk to her about anything. When our house was being built we lived with her for a couple months. I loved spending every single day with her. I can remember waking up one morning and walking out into the kitchen where she had been making breakfast. I looked down at my plate and saw some weird looking eggs and toast. I had no idea what it was called but I