Remarks by Andrew McKeough at a Memorial Service for Prof. Charles and Marylou McKeough
EXECUTIVE OFFICE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release | October 26, 2024
Remarks by Andrew McKeough at a Memorial Service for
Prof. Charles and Marylou McKeough
Saint Isaac Jogues Roman Catholic Church
Wayne, Pennsylvania
11:32 A.M. EST
MR. McKEOUGH: Good morning family, friends, neighbors, parishioners, our healthcare family.
I want to start by thanking Fr. Moerman and Deacon Dan for celebrating today’s mass honoring Mom and Dad, I am truly grateful for your years of wisdom and guidance over my life.
Today we are joined together in love and remembrance to honor not just one, but two incredible people — my parents. It's been nearly a year since they both left us, and while the weight of their absence still lingers in our hearts, so too does the richness of their presence, their love and the countless memories that they left behind.
My parents shared a bond that was as rare as it was beautiful — a partnership built on love, respect and unwavering support for each other and for our family. Together, they created a home that was warm, welcoming and filled with laughter. They taught me the meaning of love — not just in words, but in action, in the way they cared for each other, for me and for everyone who was lucky enough to be a part of their lives.
Individually, they were remarkable in their own ways. My parents were people of quiet strength, who led by example and taught me the value of hard work, integrity and perseverance. They were the type of parents who were someone you could always count on, whether it was for a helping hand, a word of advice, or simply the comfort of their steady presence. With hearts so full of warmth and kindness, you couldn’t help but feel uplifted in their presence. They brought joy to everyone around them, and had this special way of making even the simplest moments feel extraordinary.
In Dad’s final years, he would create special bonds to my friends who were over fifty years younger. Many of them would come to visit him in his final days. On one such occasion, three days before he passed, Dad couldn’t talk much, but as that friend left, my Dad would extend his arm to them and whisper a soft message into my ear, “my friend.” My friends would become his. Whether it be in the hospital or at home, those visits would mean the world to him. He would often express that to me. Everyone left with a smile on their face and an impactful last visit with Dad. To all of you who made that time to visit, thank you. Thank you for bringing joy to a man in his final days and leaving him with joy in his eyes.
Together, my parents were a force of love, of family and of unity. They showed me what it means to build a life together — through the good times and the hard times, with patience and compassion. Their love was the foundation upon which our family was built, and it remains the compass by which I navigate my life even now.
I won’t lie to any of you as much as I try to hide it, but this past year without them has been the hardest year of my life. It’s challenged me in ways I never thought I would be challenged. However, in the midst of the grief, I’ve found comfort in the legacy they left behind. I see them in the traditions we carry on, in the stories we share and in the love that still surrounds us. Their influence is everywhere, from the values they instilled in me to the laughter they inspired in everyone who knew them.
Today, as we honor their memory, I choose to remember them not with tears, but with gratitude. Gratitude for the love they gave, for the lessons they taught and for the lives they lived. They were my parents, my guides, my heroes and my greatest inspirations. I miss them every day, but I know they are still with me — in my heart, in my actions and in the love I will continue to carry forward and “always smile” in both of their names.
Thank you, Mama and Daddy, for everything. You are missed beyond words, but your love will live on in me, in all of us, forever. (Applause).
END
11:37 A.M. EST