Poems for Grandpa’s Funeral Program: Words to Honor a Grandfather

A grandfather is often the family’s storyteller, its steady hand, and the one with a peppermint in his pocket for every grandchild. When it’s time to honor him in his funeral program, the words should carry his warmth, his humor, and the quiet example he set for everyone who came after him.

These original poems were written for a grandfather’s funeral program or memorial service, many in the voice of his grandchildren — including a simple poem a young grandchild can read. Whether you called him Grandpa, Papa, Pop, or Granddad, feel free to swap in the name he loved to be called.

All poems © Noted & Charmed by C. Lindorfer. Free for personal memorial use with credit. Not for commercial use, republication, or resale.

In This Collection

• Readings for the Service
• From His Grandchildren
• For the Inside Pages
• Short Verses for a Back Cover, Prayer Card, or Headstone
• How to Add a Poem to His Program

Readings for the Service

The Stories He Told

Grandpa told the same stories every holiday,
and we let him, every time —
the one about the flood, the old farm,
the year the truck broke down three states from home.
We could have told them for him by the end,
and maybe that was the point.

Now the stories are ours to tell.
We’ll tell them at our own tables,
to children who never got to meet him,
and we’ll stretch the good parts
the way he always did.

That’s how he’ll stay with us:
one more time around the table,
one more “Did I ever tell you…?”
Yes, Grandpa. You did.
Tell us again.

A reading for the service. Warm and a little funny — a lovely choice for a grandchild speaking at the funeral.

Grandpa’s Pockets

His pockets held a peppermint,
a nickel, and a knife,
a folded list, a handkerchief —
the small stuff of a life.

He’d reach in deep and always find
a treat for each of us,
as if his pockets had no bottom,
and never made a fuss.

Now we reach for what he gave —
not candy, coins, or string,
but patience, kindness, steady love.
He left us everything.

A rhymed ballad about the treasures a grandfather carried — and the ones he left behind.

He Kept the Faith

He kept the faith through all his years,
through harvest and through storm;
he bowed his head at every meal,
his handshake firm and warm.

Now he has finished well his race
and laid his burdens down;
the Lord who knew him all along
has handed him his crown.

Written in the rhythm of a traditional hymn verse. For a grandfather whose faith was quiet, steady, and lifelong.

From His Grandchildren

My Grandpa

My grandpa had the biggest laugh,
the gentlest, strongest hands;
he taught me how to fish and wait,
and how to build in sand.

I’ll miss his stories and his jokes,
but I will try to be
as good and kind as Grandpa was,
so he’ll live on in me.

A simple rhyming poem a young grandchild can read aloud or have printed in the program.

For grieving grandchildren: our free printable memory book gives children a gentle way to draw, write, and remember.

Riding Shotgun

I rode shotgun in his old truck
more miles than I can count.
He’d drive with one hand,
wave at every car we passed,
and tell me the names of the fields
like they were old friends.

He didn’t lecture.
He just let me ride along
and watch how a good man
moves through the world —
slow, and kind, and paying attention.

I’m the one driving now, Grandpa.
I still watch the road the way you taught me.

From a grown grandchild. Free verse about the lessons learned simply by riding along.

Early Mornings

Grandpa believed the best part of the day happened before anyone else was awake. He’d wake us before sunrise with cocoa in a thermos, and we’d sit by the water, not saying much, waiting for something to bite. Sometimes nothing did. He said that was fine — the waiting was the point. We didn’t understand him then. We do now. Some of the best moments of our lives were spent sitting quietly beside him, waiting for nothing at all.

A prose poem for the grandfather who loved fishing, sunrises, and quiet company.

For the Inside Pages

Grandpa Could

Grandpa could fix anything with duct tape and patience.
He could whistle any song, though never quite in tune.
He could tell the weather by the sky
and a liar by his handshake.
He could fall asleep in any chair
and deny it every time.
He could make a grandchild feel ten feet tall
with just a wink.
There wasn’t much Grandpa couldn’t do.
Except stay.
We wish he could have stayed.

A list poem that brings a smile before it brings the tears. Easy to personalize.

A Life Well Lived

He didn’t chase the world’s applause;
he kept his word and served his cause —
his family, his faith, his friends,
and doing right until the end.
He leaves no statue carved in stone,
just all the love that he had sown
in children’s children, strong and true.
Well done, Grandpa. We’re proud of you.

Rhyming couplets for a grandfather whose legacy is his family. Lovely for a great-grandfather, too.

G.R.A.N.D.P.A.

Generous with his time and his stories,
Ready with a joke and a peppermint,
Always proud of every one of us,
Never too busy to take us along,
Devoted to his family and his faith,
Patient teacher, steady hand,
A grandpa like no other — rest well.

An acrostic poem. A favorite for the program cover or beside his photo.

Short Verses for a Back Cover, Prayer Card, or Headstone

For Grandpa

He gave us stories, jokes, and time,
a hand to hold, a place to stay;
we’ll carry Grandpa in our hearts
and see him again one day.

A four-line verse sized for the back cover or a memorial prayer card.

Short Lines to Remember Him By

Grandfather, great-grandfather, and our family’s steady hand.

He had a story for everything, and a place in every heart.

Gone fishing. Loved always.

One-line tributes for a headstone, a bookmark, the bottom of the program, or a sympathy card.

How to Add a Poem to His Program

All templates at Noted & Charmed are edited in Canva — free, browser-based, and no design experience needed:

1. Open your template link in Canva and click any existing text box, or add a new one from the Text panel.
2. Paste your chosen poem, and swap “Grandpa” for the name he was called — Papa, Pop, Granddad, or anything else.
3. Longer poems fit best on the inside spread; short verses work well on the back cover or a prayer card.
4. Add a small credit line beneath the poem: © Noted & Charmed.
5. Download as a PDF and print at home or at any copy shop.

Looking for scripture as well? Our Funeral Scriptures for Women and Men includes Proverbs 17:6 — “Children’s children are the crown of old men” — a beloved verse for a grandfather.

You May Also Find Helpful

• Poems for Grandma’s Funeral Program
• Poems for a Father’s Funeral Program
• Poems for a Husband’s Funeral Program
• Funeral Scriptures for Women and Men
• All Canva Funeral Program Templates

Sending comfort to you and your family as you honor the grandfather who gave you his stories, his time, and his love. — Noted & Charmed