Rest in Peace ,Kevin Daley The eulogy given by Emily, his daughter at his funeral

I on behalf of my family, would first like to say thank you all for coming, for all your prayers and sympathies, and most especially , for your love. As my brothers and I discussed, we could spend hours talking about this amazing man, but his legacy is far greater than any time span could contain. Therefore,we felt it best to touch upon a few things that defined his larger than life aura. The first thing that comes to mind when thinking of Kevin Daley was his sense of humor and indescrible laugh. Besides being witty and full of one-liners, amongst our family we often bantered back and fourth simply by way of movie or television quotes. One of my favorites was from the movie A Quiet Man. It was heard practically every night when he walked in the door,at which time he would say, "God bless all in this house!" My mom would reply, "Whipe your feet." And he would finish off saying,"thank you mum." And no mattter what the mood in the house we couldn't help but smirk at the jolliness he exuded in that moment, In hindsight, I realize that his laughter and joking was a true testament to his living in the moment because he knew time was precious anfd that joy should accompany every second of our lives. Like his favorite character from A Muppet's Christmas Carol the ghost of Christmas present, he was a large absent-minded spirit that celebrated life every day. Beyond this was the indelible mark he has made on all those who knew him. As it was eloquently put by Maya Angelou, "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forgete what you did, but people never forget how you made them feel" Whether he bought us happiness, comfort, protection, frustration, the impact of his presence could not be denied. Physically the man was a giant, a titan in human form but the one thing that trumped this was the immensidy of his spirit. It was his spirit that captured our hearts and the hearts of those who met him. He had a certain way of disguising his vast wisdom with the simplicity and ease with which he conversed. He watched quietly as we made mistakes bur always gave us a soft landing to fall back onto. From Teaching life lessons to practicing self-defense late at night and assuring we had proper attire for everything, he dedicated himself to preparing us for the daily battles of the real world. However, above all else, he made his love and extraordinary compassion known. with a simple handshake, pat on the back, or friendly smile he was able to brighten even the darkest of days. but if none of those would do the trick, the instance of this gentle giant's embrace made every problem of life fade away because no place was safer than being held in his arms. And for us kids, we couldn't have asked for two better individuals who exemplified a truly deep love that could withstand the test of time. I constantly caught him looking endearingly at out mom as we sat watching TV, and he'd say "That's my girl, the most beautiful girl in the world." After almost 29 years of marriage, they loved each other with just as much passion and sincerity as the day they said I do. But this love experience was only the beginning of the distance and diversity of his impact. On top of being an irreplaceable father and husband, he was a once in a lifetimne kind of friend to countless individuals. Being the only son of an only son, one of his dearest and oldest friends, Uncle Al, has been nothing short of a brother to him. And I am honored at this time to share a beautiful quote that he gave me which summarizes the kind of bonds my father had formed over 60 years of his life. It reads, "in the Celtic tradition, there is a beautiful understanding of love and friendship. One of the facinating ideas here is the idea of soul-love: the old Gaelic term for this is anam cara. Anam is the Gaelic world for soul and cara is the word for friend. So anam cara in the Celtic world was the "soul friend." With the anma cara you could share your innermost self, your mind and your heart. This friendship was an act of recognition and belonging. John Cassian says the bond between friends is indissoluble: "This I say, is what is broken by no chances, what no interval of time or space can sever or destroy, and what even death cannot part" So as we depart today, remember that laughter is a beautiful thing, that life should be celebrated and that his love is with you always. Thank you. If you know out family, you are most likely aware of the unorthodox way in which we communicate, movie or TV lines and accents: Ghost of Christmas present. Size 14e Movie lines: come in and know me better man! do the roar, do it! Ahh simonies Woman of the house...wipe your feet...god bless all in this house Can vs May No throwing in the house Hugs Safe, welcoming smile Presence, air,lighter, Laugh Do right thing Always said the right thing Simple, hard to put in words