Saying goodbye to your grandfather is hard. And finding the right words to honor him can feel impossible.
That’s where a poem can help. A good funeral poem says the things we struggle to say ourselves. It also gives everyone at the service a quiet moment to remember the grandfather they loved.
We’ve got some of our favorite funeral poems for a grandfather below. Some are more comforting while others are about faith and a few are short enough to print inside an order of service or read at the graveside. Whichever you choose we hope one of them helps you give your grandad the send off he deserves.
Funeral Poems for a Grandfather
These are the poems people come back to again and again. They work brilliantly as a funeral reading of as part of a eulogy or printed on a memorial card.
Remember
Remember me when I am gone away,
Gone far away into the silent land;
When you can no more hold me by the hand,
Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay.
Remember me when no more day by day
You tell me of our future that you planned:
Only remember me; you understand
It will be late to counsel then or pray.
Yet if you should forget me for a while
And afterwards remember, do not grieve:
For if the darkness and corruption leave
A vestige of the thoughts that once I had,
Better by far you should forget and smile
Than that you should remember and be sad.
By Christina Rossetti
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Crossing the Bar
Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea,
But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home.
Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark;
For tho’ from out our bourne of Time and Place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crost the bar.
By Alfred, Lord Tennyson
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Death Is Nothing At All
Death is nothing at all.
It does not count.
I have only slipped away into the next room.
Nothing has happened.
Everything remains exactly as it was.
I am I, and you are you,
And the old life that we lived so fondly together is untouched, unchanged.
Whatever we were to each other, that we are still.
Call me by the old familiar name.
Speak of me in the easy way which you always used.
Put no difference into your tone.
Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow.
Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes that we enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me, pray for me.
Let my name be ever the household word that it always was.
Let it be spoken without an effort, without the ghost of a shadow upon it.
Life means all that it ever meant.
It is the same as it ever was.
There is absolute and unbroken continuity.
What is this death but a negligible accident?
Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?
I am but waiting for you, for an interval,
Somewhere very near,
Just round the corner.
All is well.
By Henry Scott Holland
SEE MORE: Funeral Poems for a Grandmother
Short Funeral Poems for Grandpa
Sometimes you only need a few lines. These shorter verses are perfect for the front of an order of service, memorial card, a graveside reading etc. when you want to keep things simple.
We’ve written these ourselves so feel free to use them as they are or change a word here and there to make them right for your grandad.
A Grandfather’s Hands
His hands were rough and worn with years,
But gentle when they needed to be.
They built and mended, held and guided,
And waved goodbye to you and me.
We will not see those hands again,
But we will feel them all the same,
In every lesson that he taught us,
And every time we say his name.
By Sympathy Message Ideas
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Grandad
You were our shelter from the storm,
Our quiet, steady hand,
The one who always understood
When no one else could understand.
You go now to your well-earned rest,
Your work on earth all done,
And though our hearts are heavy,
We are grateful you were ours, Grandad, ours alone.
By Sympathy Message Ideas
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Until We Meet Again
We are not saying goodbye, Grandpa,
Not really, not for good.
We are saying see you later,
The way we always should.
For love like yours does not just end,
It lingers and it stays,
And we will carry you with us
Through all our coming days.
By Sympathy Message Ideas
SEE MORE: Loss of Grandfather Quotes
Religious Funeral Poems for a Grandfather
If your grandfather was a religious man then a scripture reading or religious poem can be the most fitting tribute of all. Psalm 23 is read at more funerals than any other passage.
Psalm 23 (King James Version)
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
He leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul:
He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;
Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
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A Christian Farewell
He has gone to be with his Maker,
His race on earth is run,
And we hear the gentle whisper,
Well done, my child, well done.
So weep, but do not grieve too long,
For this is not the end.
We will meet again in glory,
Our grandfather and our friend.
By Sympathy Message Ideas
SEE MORE: Christian Eulogy Examples
Famous Funeral Poems People Read for a Grandfather
There are a few poems that come up at almost every funeral. We can’t reprint these because they are still under copyright but they are easy to find online or in a poetry book and any of them would work for a grandfather.
- Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep by Mary Elizabeth Frye. The classic comforting poem that reminds us a loved one lives on in the wind, the snow and the morning light.
- He Is Gone by David Harkins. Often read as a celebration of a life rather than a mourning of a death with the message to smile because he lived.
- Footprints in the Sand. The beloved piece about being carried through our hardest moments. Lovely for a grandfather who held the family together.
- Afterglow by Helen Lowrie Marshall. A short poem about leaving behind a warm memory instead of grief.
- The Dash by Linda Ellis. A reflection on the little dash between the dates on a headstone and the life it stands for.
How to Choose the Right Funeral Poem for Your Grandfather
- Think about who he was. If he was a man of few words then something short and plain might be better. A grandfather who loved a good story might suit something warmer and longer.
- Read it out loud first. A poem can look lovely on the page and then be a real issue when you come to say it. Reading it aloud tells you if you can get the right rhythm or flow and whether you can also get through it without breaking down.
- Pick someone steady to read it. If you think you might struggle on the day, and that is very common, ask a family member or friend to read on your behalf. There is no shame in doing so.
- Match it to the service. A scripture passage is right for a religious service while a secular poem fits a celebration of life. You can always include more than one.
If you are also writing or speaking at the service our eulogy examples for a grandfather and obituary examples are worth looking at.
Final Thoughts
Losing your grandfather leaves a space that nothing can ever fill. But the poems above can help you say what is in your heart even on a day when words feel hard to come by.
For more ideas have a look at our poems about grief, our sympathy poems, and our wider collection of funeral poems.
