After having to say goodbye to her best friend, a South Carolina woman shared a homemade obituary – and it melted hearts across social media.
Sallie Gregory-Hammett recently had to say goodbye to her dog Charlie, a golden retriever who passed away at the age of 7 after battling lymphoma for months.
“I was devastated saying goodbye to Charlie, but I was also comforted because I knew it was time,” Gregory-Hammett tells This Dog’s Life. “He let me know he was ready to go, and he went so peacefully. I took comfort in his last days being so happy and in all of our memories together.”
To help in the grieving process, one in which involved her crying non-stop for the first 48 hours, she decided to write her own obituary to honor Charlie.
“I have always loved writing, and when Charlie passed I was so overcome with emotions I just needed an outlet for them,” she says. “I also wanted to do something to memorialize him, because he was so important to me and it felt wrong that he would just be gone without doing something special.”
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Rather than send it to the local newspaper, Gregory-Hammett decided to share it on Twitter.
“Remembering Charlie,” it’s titled and begins “Charlie James Gregory-Hammett crossed the rainbow bridge Sunday, September 13th peacefully in the arms of his mom.”
It goes on to share Charlie’s love for life.
“Charlie’s favorite activities were walking, stick collecting, swimming, smiling, and snoozing,” it states. “If we’re being honest, Charlie loved everything life had to offer (except stairs. He hated stairs). Gregory-Hammett went on to to share that he also loved the beach, car rides, socks, and bananas.
“Charlie always loved going to his Grandma and Grandpa’s house, where he could get treats, chase squirrels, and pee everywhere cousin Captain peed,” the obit stated.
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But it was Gregory-Hammett and Charlie’s bond that made his life complete.
“More than anything else, Charlie loved his mom. He was always there to greet her with some kisses and a firm grip on her arm. He was her constant companion,” it states. “There through heartache, moves, grief, and joy. He was good at a lot of things, but he was best at unconditional love.”
It concludes with how much he will be missed.
“We will think of him every time we open the peanut butter. We will miss him every time we see a sock on the floor or pass a stick on a walk. We will carry him with us everywhere.”
To date, her Twitter post has received more than 108,000 likes and nearly 13,000 shares.
While Gregory-Hammett is still extremely sad, she is grateful for all the support she has received — both online and in real life.
“The house is so empty and my heart aches every time I remember he’s not there, which is a lot,” she tells us. “But I’ve got wonderful friends and family who have been so comforting, and now I’ve got this huge online crew that’s been so compassionate, too.”
In lieu of flowers, Gregory-Hammett asks “people to hug their pups a little tighter” to honor Charlie.
Related: Watch Heartbreaking Video of Dog Saying Goodbye to His Dying Owner
