Gregory Edward Schweizer

Here is the text of my "Words of Remembrance" from Gregory's Celebration of Life service at St. Francis Church on March 31st. --- On behalf of my parents, Gregory's parents, our family and friends here today we extend our sincere thanks to all of you for being here to celebrate the life of my husband and my best friend, Gregory Schweizer. Reminiscing about Greg these past few weeks, the stories we tell about him often relate to his kind, gentle spirit that embraced the beauty he saw in nature, whether it was capturing a rolling landscape on his camera from the passenger seat of the family car or greeting his cats each morning on his way to breakfast. I will never forget his tenderness and affection for his family, his friends, and everyone he met. Everyone who knew him knew his wry wit, his intellect, his love of languages, his curiosity for scientific discovery, and his passion for literature, podcasts, and documentaries. Personally, I have been learning about Greg through the things he left behind - the books he was reading, his school work, many pages of creative writing, and curious oddities he collected over the years. Reviewing his profiles on social media, I couldn't help but notice that he called himself "agnostic". Outwardly, he presented himself as a person of science and logic, uninterested and unaffected by the trappings of faith or religion or spirituality. Yet, I found a different side to Greg through our many conversations and shared experiences. He was seeking, as we all do, an understanding of the truth. When we first met, he was studying Buddhism. He joined me for Mass and, even an Easter Vigil, once. He would follow along in the missal, curious to learn better what was being said and recited. Afterward, we would have long conversations about Catholicism, Christianity, Western culture, and our common desire for meaning in our lives. Would you believe that on one of our first outings together, we would end up eating dinner and singing hymns with members of a church we just happened upon on a Sunday evening in a neighboring state? Greg was a man devoted to peace. Once, he was asked to share what qualities he thought best exemplified leadership. He replied, "...although a very humble person, [I think] Mahatma Gandhi was a very successful leader. His example has helped me in my life indirectly, by teaching me to stand up for myself even under derision and that one can always achieve one's goals through nonviolence. In fact, that could be a good reason I've been involved in so few conflicts!" Greg was committed to a more peaceful world, whether it was in the causes he supported or the way he treated other people. From recycling to animal welfare to equal rights for LGBTQ+ persons, he envisioned a loving, joyful world where everyone could peacefully coexist. I have been taught to recognize that all that is good is of God and from God, and that no good thing exists without God's presence. My experience with Greg has been of a person full of goodness and light, and his virtue is a shining example of love, caring, compassion, and forgiveness that leave me to shame. Of course, this goodness is also a reflection of the love and care he has received over the past thirty-seven years from dedicated and devoted parents and siblings who love him very much. Faced with the struggles and challenges of caring for and supporting a family member with chronic health issues and disability, they persevered and raised a loving, caring family. I was only privileged to know Greg in his final years, but the man I met and fell in love was blessed with the goodness he received from the Dowling and Schweizer families. Now, Greg has shared that blessing with me also, and among his greatest legacies has been joining us together in love to support and care for each other, even in his absence. I want to thank Jane, Chuck, and all the members of St. Francis' GLBT Ministry for their role in making this celebration possible. I also want to thank Fr. Clay, Jim Wahl, Beth Gaudette, and all the folks here at St. Francis of Assisi Church. Please join me in prayer and thanksgiving, rejoicing to have known and been touched by a spirit such as that of Gregory Edward Schweizer.