Father Aidan O’Reilly,
Pastor of St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Mount
Shasta, kindly offered the Holy Sacrament of the Mass
for Will.
Sister Nancy McInery,
Parish Steward of St. John’s, planned the beautiful
service.
Lupe Imhoff,
Willie’s godmother, greeted mourners and presented the
memorial book.
Mr. H.W. Trapnell
Played the organ in honor of Willie.
Michael Christ led St. John’s Choir, which sang,
Entrance: Morning Has Broken
Offertory: Here I Am Lord
Communion: Gift of Finest Wheat
Recessional: Holy God We Praise Thy Name
Dr. Russell Elgin,
Will’s dentist and family friend,
read from the book of Job, 19:1, 23-27
Patrick Imhoff,
Willie’s godfather,
read from the first letter of John, 3:1-2
Michael Christ, St. John’s choir director,
sang the Responsorial, Psalm 23
Father O’ Reilly,
read from the holy gospel according to Matthew, 11:25-30
Father gave a beautiful homily which emphasized God’s
nearness to the brokenhearted, the beauty and comfort
in his promises, and the tenderness of his mercy
towards us.
Father read the Prayer of the Faithful,
“Trusting in God, the source of all mercy and the God
of all consolation, let us offer our prayers, trusting
that He will hear us and comfort us in our sorrow.”
Diane, Will’s mother
Read the Intercessions written by
Parish Steward, Sister Nancy McInery,
“ For us gathered here as we mourn the death of
Willie, that in the midst of things we cannot
understand, our faith and trust will be sustained by
the communion of saints and the gift of resurrection
to new life, we pray to the Lord.
Response: Lord hear our prayer.
For Willie, in gratitude for the life and love he
shared with us, we pray to the Lord.
R.
For Willie, that he may rest and rejoice now in the
place prepared for him by Jesus, our way to the
Father, we pray to the Lord.
R.
For Willie’s family and friends, that our faith in
God’s care and compassion give us the assurance that
Willie is safe in God’s care, we pray to the Lord.
R.
For all gathered here together, that we be mindful of
our mortal condition, and pray for the gift of a
peaceful death, we pray to the Lord.
R.
For all here today, that we remember how fragile and
precious is the gift of life, we pray to the Lord.
R.
For those we love and admire, that we do not hesitate
to express our love and gratitude to them for what
they have done for us, we pray to the Lord.
R.
For eternal rest for Willie, and for our own family
members who have preceded us in death.
R.”
Father read,
“ Most merciful and loving God,
whose wisdom is beyond our understanding,
surround the family of Willie with your love,
that they might not be overwhelmed by their loss,
but have confidence and strength to meet the days to
come. We ask this through Christ our, Lord. Amen”
After the Eucharistic prayers, Consecration, and Communion,
Ken, Will's father,
played guitar and sang for Willie,
a hymn he recalled from his childhood,
“Softly and Tenderly, Jesus is Calling.”
(Please check back as we hope to have a recording
of this
song for you to download in the very near future,
if you
would like to be notified when that song is
available, please email
us!)
Afrack Vargas,
Will’s close friend and Castle Avenue neighbor since
kindergarten, spoke in his honor:
My name is Afrack and I grew up across the street from Willie.
Like many in
this room, and many who are here in spirit but couldn't make the trip
here
today, we have known Willie our entire lives. We have ridden
trycycles and
bycycles together, played t-ball, baseball, soccer, basketball and
football
together, we have gone sledding, and caused mischief and mayhem.
Willie has become as much of our childhood and our lives as our own
family.
We would like to welcome our brothers and sisters in Willie who have
come
from around the world including Germany, Asia, Tahoe, and elswhere
to
Dunsmuir to be with us today as we remember and mourn the loss of our
brother William Nelson Palmore.
We are all hurt, confussed, and are mourning our great loss, but today
as we
celebrate Willie's intense life, we must remember who he was.
Willie was a friend who lived life to its fullest. He never had
regrets,
and loved every day on earth. To remember that should help us
today, and to
know that this life is so short and we must enjoy it as much as we
can,
knowing that at any moment, God could call us to him.
Psalm 90:12 reads
Teach us to number our days aright;
that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Willie lived everyday to his fullest, as if he knew his days were numbered.
Today, I am not mourning a death,
but celebrating a life.
We love you Willie.
James Muscle,
Will’s friend from Europe, the Army and Chiemsee
honored Willie with these remembrances:
“For my brother, for my best man, for my son’s
godfather,
On behalf of the Euro-team, the Baumholder gang,
and the beautiful Team Green from Chiemsee:
You have been such an enormous inspiration
to all those who sat on the porch, always a big dog.
Always going for the dream when everyone else was
content to call it a day.
Always giving that perfect amount of support
and Wiliness!
All of us will thank the times we had together,
and all the hearts that you touched.
Until the day we meet again,
we will all take a little bit of the legend with us.
Ol’ Willie,
Thanks, my brother."
After a few more remembrances and a prayer ,
we left the church for a brief reception at St. John’s Hall.
The wonderful people of St. John’s Guild provided a
beautiful spread of food and comfort. Not only on the
day of Will’s Mass, but in the hard days to come, we
were sustained by all who had contributed, including:
Jan Garrigus
Christina Aguillera
Karen Witherell
Chris Mitchell
Norm and Lupe Imhoff
Dorcas Pagannini
Jimmie Le Mere
Tony and Eileen Congi
Gerry Scharf
Teresa Glica
Pat and Mary Girard
Molly and Ken Elgin
Sharon Skinner
Mrs. Jimenez
“To all who helped us in any way, kind thoughts
or
deeds, gifts, love, and prayers, we are forever
grateful. Thank you with all our heart.”
--Ken and Diane
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