William Bramwell Govaars II
August 01, 1947 - August 28, 2024
Introduction
Good morning and welcome - It is a great honor and privilege for me to be here today at my brother’s memorial service and later gathering of family and friends. My name is Kris. I know that today is - for the most part - a sad day but I hope at the end of this service you will feel glad you took the opportunity to grieve in the presence of others that have known and loved Bram.
When someone you love dies, our relationship with them doesn’t die, it changes from a physical one to a spiritual one.
Why We Are Here
We meet today to give thanks and express our love for Bram. We look upon and bless his ashes - transferring his spirit to God’s keeping and wish him well now that his time in this world has come to an end. There will be a time when we will meet again.
For Bram a different journey has begun. For us, there is a feeling of loss, grief and pain. Each of us has been affected - perhaps in small ways, or perhaps in transformative ones - by Bram. His life mattered to us all.
It is important for us to collectively acknowledge and accept that the world has fundamentally changed with his passing. Life will not be the same - nor should it be. Together let us open our hearts and commemorate the impact Bram had on us.
Let us pray.
Prayer
Father in Heaven - We thank you because you made us in your image, and gave us gifts in body, mind and spirit. We thank you now for Bram and what Bram meant to each of us. The gift that Bram was to each of our lives. Honoring Bram’s memory makes us more aware that you are the one from whom comes every perfect gift. Amen
Share
We have come together from different places and we are all at different stages on our own journey through life. Our paths are varied and we look at life in different ways. But there is one thing we all have in common, at one point or another, and to some degree or other, our lives have been touched by Bram.
We were a family of 6 - Helen and Sven (Mom and Dad) - Bram, Kris, Scotty, and MaryLinda. Bram was the oldest and was always my big brother. I could count on him.
I would like to invite Scotty to say a few words about Bram. You can come forward or stand and speak from where you are.
I would like to invite Steve to say a few words about Bram.
Thank you both for those remembrances of Bram.
Kris Share
There are many stories about Bram - more we will hear later. He was - for me - complicated - we were 5 years apart and growing up in the sixties - there was a lifetime of different experiences and many shared experiences.
We were both confirmed in the Episcopal church and continued to be of service as Acolytes for Sunday services, weddings and other events. We were both president of our senior class in high school. We were both in the Boy Scouts and made Eagle. Bram continued to be of service long afterward. We were together at the University of Arizona for a year. Bram was there for his entire undergraduate years, joined a fraternity - Pi Kappa Alpha - and continued to be of service long afterward. Bram loved Arizona and his fraternity Pi Kappa Alpha was special to him. I worked with Bram for more than a year in the company he founded - Govaars and Associates - when he invited me to join him. During the years we weren’t together he would fly up to Lake Tahoe and sleep on my couch - sometimes outdoors for the weekend.
Bram love sports with a passion and it carried over into everything he did. And in later years you could not dissuade him from the people and teams he followed.
My earliest recollection of Bram taking on the big brother role was when we were both in elementary school. I’m guessing he was in the fifth or sixth grade and I was in the first or second grade. During recess a group of boys turned me upside in a trash can and I couldn’t get out. I remember hearing the laughter and then silence - Bram’s hands grabbing my legs and pulling me out. He looked at me, shook his head and that was it.
He told that story often - into our 70’s as much as I tried to forget it. I think it was to remind me that he was my big brother and was always there to help. Throughout the years Bram did pull me out of the proverbial trash can a few times.
Bram always took his family, friendships, work and personal faith seriously. I believe he was happy and I am grateful for what time I did have with him.
Bram will always be a reminder to me that it is not the number of years in our lives that counts - it is the life in our years and Bram certainly made the most of his time.
Reading
I would like to invite Steve to come forward for a reading. Thank you Steve
Committal
Morgan - Would you please bring Bram’s ashes from the table and place them next to the vault.
I would like to ask the family to come forward and place a tulip by Bram’s ashes.
With these acts we signify that Bram has safely crossed the barrier and he is now free to experience another reality, along with all the joys and happiness that await there.
For us, however, it is important to say a final farewell as we commit Bram’s physical form to its natural end.
Blessing
Bram - we wish you well, we loved you and we thank you for being a part of our lives. We honor your life and we trust you will find everlasting peace. We will not forget you. Go well on your journey. Until we meet again.
I would like to ask Scotty to come forward and read a poem.
Poem - Crossing Over
Oh please don’t feel guilty
It was just my time to go.
I see you are still feeling sad,
And the tears just seem to flow.
We all come to earth for our lifetime,
And for some it’s not so many years.
I don’t want you to keep crying,
You are shedding so many tears.
I haven’t really left you,
Even though it may seem so,
I have just gone to my heavenly home,
And I am closer to you than you really know.
Just believe that when you say my name,
I’m standing next to you,
I know you long to see me,
But there’s nothing I can do.
But I’ll still send you messages,
And hope you understand,
That when your time comes to cross over,
I’ll be there to take your hand.
Reflection
It is important to remember that the death of each of us is in the natural order of things. It follows life as surely as Summer follows Spring. We can think of the Tree of Life as a symbol. The trunk and branches of the tree represent the human race, and the leaves symbolize the individual men and women on earth - appearing one Spring, flourishing for a season, and then dying.
The physical presence of Bram has gone, but the tree remains. In fact, it is now stronger because of his life - and death. So it shall be for all of us - in time. Let us challenge ourselves to take advantage of our time on this earth - to live our lives fully - endeavoring to love one another and not falter in the pursuit of happiness.
A final prayer.
Prayer
May the Lord bless and keep you
May the Lord make his face to shine upon you
And be gracious unto you
May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
So then go in peace, and the God of all peace go with you
Amen
Closing
Let us remember with love and gratitude a life that touched us all.
Grief works in many different ways and in its own time.
Let us remember to appreciate and bless each day and to live each moment to its fullest as a way to honor Bram. We often take life for granted and yet it is the greatest gift we have.
The past is a memory, the future is unknowable, the present is this moment - here and now. Everything that has a beginning has an ending - let’s make our peace with that and all will be well.
As we prepare to leave - Callie has chosen a song that Bram loved and I can see him now tearing up before a Liverpool game when they play You’ll Never Walk Alone.
Thank you for coming to the Memorial service.
End