Brad Gandolfo

Speech Writing 354

Tribute Speech

First, I would like to thank everybody for coming to this celebration of life in honor of my mother, Kathy Muzzey. Although she may not seem so thrilled to be 60, she is happy to see all of you here to support her, or give her support because there are a lot of stairs around here, and lets be honest mom, your no spring chicken anymore.

For those of you who don’t know what it is like to raise children as a single mom, it is another full time job, especially when you have to clock in and take care of me. I certainly did not make it as easy as I probably could have, but hey, that’s how character is made. You can thank me later. But my mother has worked harder than any person I’ve ever met. She built her own business from the ground up, with no help from anybody, spending hours and hours on the road, loading and unloading, selling and reselling, building and rebuilding. Kathy’s Kollections, once a small company packed into the back of a Buick, and now a thriving company at the hands of my mom.

Growing up was rough at times with no money. Being the poor kid at a wealthy school did not always make it easy for me, but mom was there to make sure I got the most out of it. “Adversity builds character Bradley, you will see one day”. She always had the right words to say. I remember taking the bus as a kid, everyday, and she always made me say “I like myself” repeatedly as I walked to get on. She knew it would be tough with no father figure in my life, and besides working all the time, she found a way to be mom and dad at all the right times.

She was a busy lady, sometimes spending weeks driving hours a day back and forth to clients and always making it back home in time to cook dinner. Playing soccer and basketball every year, every season, I somehow made it to every game, every practice, while she still made time to grow the business. She was a carpool kingpin. Every mom’s number on the team was on speed dial, and they all knew her well.

As I got older, and the business grew, we finally had a little bit more money. My freshman year in high school, do you know what she gave me? A vacation she said I always missed out on. Yes, she took me to Disney World. “Better late than never honey!”. All my friends had been, some multiple times, and she never gave up on the dream. Even though I was a little older, it was the most thoughtful thing anyone had ever done for me.

And then my junior year of high school she gave me the best present of all. She married my step-dad John. All I had ever known was me and mom. I was the man of the house, or tried hard too at least, but she could not have married a better man. Being a huge sports and Tar Heel fan certainly helped in my eyes though. He also gave Mom what she never had, a good man to stay and take care of her. For that I will be forever grateful.

Mom, besides turning 60, which is a great accomplishment in itself, you should get a congressional medal of honor for having to raise me. I know I didn’t exactly make it easy for you, but your persistence, your discipline, and your guidance do not go unnoticed or unappreciated. But lets be honest, burning the kitchen down, stealing your car at 13 years old and getting kicked out of school for selling beer to kids on a field trip to DC were all character building moments. Mom, you were always there to put me in my place, and teach me the ways to go. You never spoiled me too much, you never scolded me too much, and you never let me stray too far. You taught me to work hard for everything I wanted. You taught me that me that I can do anything I wanted if I put my head and my heart into it. Because of you mom, when people call me a momma’s boy, I smile and say “Thanks”.