It’s always hard when a loved one passes away, but that's especially true when it’s your grandmother.
One of the most difficult things to do is to choose the right words to say at her funeral. Reading a poem can be the perfect way to express the words we want to say, but have difficulty articulating.
If you have been tasked with saying a few words or reading a poem at Grandma’s funeral, we’re here to make your job a little easier, with 21 beautiful poems for Grandma. We hope that these poems will help you find comfort during a difficult time, while the right one provides the perfect words to express your feelings and memories about your grandmother.
1. Grandma
- Unknown Author
You fed me well, you made me strong.
You taught me to know right from wrong.
You made me feel that I belong.
You showed me the value of a song.
You gave me life, you gave me love.
You always knew the way I felt.
You used the words you thought might heal.
You convinced me it was no big deal.
Your advice would keep it real.
You gave me life, you gave me love.
Broken hearts you liked to mend.
It was not in your nature to offend.
Birthday cards you’d always send.
You knew the value of family and friends.
You give me life, you give me love.
You left me now, you’ve gone away.
I’m left behind, I have to stay.
So I’ll just have to pray.
I’ll meet you again another day.
You always had that ‘special touch’.
I loved you so very, very much.
You gave me life, you gave me love.
Please watch over me from above.
2. Memories in The Heart
- Unknown Author
This moving verse has a comforting message and is a good funeral poem for Nan. The words remind us how talking and remembering can keep someone alive in our hearts, long after they are gone.
Feel no guilt in laughter, she knows how much you care
Feel no sorrow in a smile that she’s not here to share.
You cannot grieve forever, she would not want you to.
She’d hoped you could carry on, the way you always do.
So talk about the good times and the way you showed you cared
The days you spent together, all the happiness you shared.
Let memories surround you,
A word someone may say
Will suddenly recapture a time, an hour, a day
That brings her back as clearly as though she was here
And fills you with the feelings that she is always near
For if you keep these moments, you will never be apart
And she will live forever, locked safely within your heart.
3. Remember Me
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 turn to stay.
Remember me when no more day by day
You tell me of the future that you planned;
Only remember me; you understand
It will be late to counsel them or pray.
Yet if you should forget me for a while
And afterward, remember, do not grieve:
For if the darkness and corruption leave
A vestige of the thoughts that I once had,
Better by far that you should forget
And smile than that you should
Remember and be sad.
4. Nanny
- Laura White
Such wonderful memories of Nanny
The Nanny we all used to know
We kept you too long and there waiting
The angels have said you can go
Bright golden gates that are shining
Full of family to bid you hello
So blow us a kiss as you’re leaving
Our sadness we’ll try not to show
Such wonderful memories of Nanny
We all have our favorites you see
As you enter those gates you’ll be thinking
They’re all there thinking of me!
5. When I Must Leave You
- Helen Steiner Rice
When I must leave you
For a little while
Please do not grieve
And shed wild tears
These lines are the work of Helen Steiner Rice, a well-known writer of religious and inspirational poems. With its comforting words that tell us to dry our tears and live a good life, it sends a heartwarming message of hope for a grandmother’s funeral.
With a grandma’s good sense, it reminds us to fill our waking hours in useful ways and brings comfort with final words of faith and wisdom. The final lines are reassuring:
Never, never
Be afraid to die
For I am waiting for you in the sky!
6. Warning
- Jenny Joseph
This delightful poem is a perfect funeral poem for a grandma who had a lot of fun. It is written from the point of view of a woman who wants to make up for the "sobriety" of her youth in mischievous older age.
The words describe growing old in a wonderfully outrageous style.
Here’s how it begins.
When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn’t go, and doesn’t suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals and say we’ve no money for butter.
7. Legacy of Love
- Unknown Author
This is an uplifting poem for a celebration of a remarkable woman’s life. The words remind us that our nans can be strong as well as kind and loving.
This funeral poem for a grandmother also comforts us with the thought that our love for her will always live in our hearts.
A wife, a mother, a grandma too,
This is the legacy we have from you
You taught us love and how to fight
You gave us strength, you gave us might.
A stronger person would be hard to find,
And in your heart you were always kind.
You fought for us all in one way or another
Not just as a wife, not just as a mother.
For all of us you gave your best
And now the time has come for you to rest.
So go in peace, you’ve earned your sleep,
Your love in our hearts we’ll eternally keep.
8. She’s in the Sun, the Wind, the Rain
- Christy Ann Martine
She’s in the sun, the wind, the rain,
she’s in the air you breathe
with every breath you take.
She sings a song of hope and cheer,
there’s no more pain, no more fear.
You’ll see her in the clouds above,
hear her whisper words of love,
you’ll be together before long,
until then, listen to her song.
9. Richer Than Gold
- Strickland Gillilan
You may have tangible wealth untold;
Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold.
Richer than I you can never be –
I had a Grandmother who read to me.
10. Grandmother
- Unknown Author
God looked around his garden
and found an empty space.
Then he looked down upon this earth
And saw your tired face.
He put his arms around you
And lifted you to rest.
God’s garden must be beautiful
He only takes the best.
11. Her Smile
- Unknown Author
Though her smile is gone forever
and her hand I cannot touch
I still have so many memories
Of the one I loved so much.
Her memory is now my keepsake
Which I'll never part with.
God has her in her keeping
I have her in my heart.
Sadly missed, but never forgotten.
12. Memories in the Heart
- Unknown Author
Feel no guilt in laughter, she knows how much you care.
Feel no sorrow in a smile that she’s not here to share.
You cannot grieve forever, she would not want you to.
She’d hope that you can carry on, the way you always do.
So talk about the good times and the ways you showed you cared.
The days you spent together, all the happiness you shared.
Let memories surround you.
13. A Tear for Nana
- J. Allen Shaw
Grandmother, when I think about you being gone,
My heart is saddened, and I don’t know how I’ll go on.
You always had time to listen to my complaints,
I’ve said so many times, “That woman’s a saint.”
You taught me more about life than anyone at all.
And were always available, anytime I would call.
I shed a tear because my “Nana’s” was gone.
Now somehow I’ll find the strength to go on.
14. A Grandmother's Love Never Fades
- Amelia Vandergast
The smell of your perfume
your favorite song on the radio
it all brings me back to you.
When my eyes were brand-new
you were keen to show me the world
the sights I would see were more than just images in the periphery
They are rooted in my mind as my fondest memory.
I recall them when the world seems too much
or just when I miss your touch
your soft embraces
Your love left traces of you inside me.
I wish I could have known you for longer
I wish I could have known you when you were younger
every second with you made me stronger.
Your love is unforgettable
it still grows each day
you live inside of me
even if you’re not around
to take pride in me.
15. A Wonderful Grandmother
- Unknown Author
We had a wonderful grandmother
One who never really grew old
Her smile was made of sunshine
And her heart was solid gold
Her eyes were bright as shining stars
And in her cheeks fair roses you see.
We had a wonderful grandmother,
And that’s the way it will always be.
But take heed, because
She’s still keeping an eye on all of us,
So let’s make sure
She will like what she sees.
16. The Watcher
- Anne Widdemer
Her thoughts were all so full of us,
She could never forget!
And so I think that where she is
She must still be watching yet.
17. Gone From Us
- Unknown Author
Gone from us that smiling face,
The cheerful pleasant ways,
The heart that won so many friends,
In bygone, happy days.
A life made beautiful by kindly deeds,
A helping hand for others’ needs.
To a beautiful life,
Comes a happy end,
She died as she lived,
Everyone’s friend.
18. You Only Have One Grandmother
- Unknown Author
You can have one special grandmother
Patient kind and true;
No other friend in all the world,
Will be the same to you.
When other friends forsake you,
To Grandma you will return,
For all her loving kindness,
She asks nothing in return.
As we look upon her picture,
Sweet memories we recall,
Of a face so full of sunshine,
And a smile for one and all.
Sweet Jesus, take this message,
To our dear Grandma up above;
Tell her how we miss her,
And give her all our love.
19. You’ve Just Walked On Ahead of Me
- Joyce Grenfell
You’ve Just Walked On Ahead of Me
And I’ve got to understand
You must release the ones you love
And let go of their hand.
I try and cope the best I can
But I’m missing you so much
If I could only see you
And once more feel your touch.
Yes, you’ve just walked on ahead of me
Don’t worry I’ll be fine
But now and then I swear I feel
Your hand slipped into mine.
20. She Is Gone
- David Harkins
You can shed tears that she is gone
Or you can smile because she has lived.
You can close your eyes and pray that she’ll come back
Or you can open your eyes and see all that she has left.
Your heart can be empty because you can’t see her
Or you can be full of the love you shared
You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday
Or you can be happy for tomorrow, because of yesterday
You can remember her and only that she’s gone
Or you can cherish her memory and let it live on
You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back
Or you can do what she’d want: smile, open your eyes, love and go on
21. God Looked Around His Garden
- Melissa Shreve
God looked around his garden
And found an empty place
He then looked down upon the earth
And saw your tired face
He put his arms around you
And lifted you to rest.
God’s garden must be beautiful,
He always takes the best.
He knew that you were suffering
He knew you were in pain
He knew that you would never
Get well on earth again.
He saw the road was getting rough
And the hills were hard to climb.
So he closed your weary eyelids
And said, “Peace be thine”.
It broke our hearts to lose you
But you didn’t go alone.
For part of us went with you
The day God called you home.
Another way to honor her life
When the funeral is over, we can be left feeling empty and alone in our grief. Creating an online memorial for your Gran is both therapeutic and helps to keep your memories of her alive. You can also share the memorial with friends and family, who can contribute their own memories, and pass the memorial on to future generations. With an online memorial, your grandmother's memory will never be forgotten.