All 26 of her grandkids gathered to say goodbye—then realized they’d each kept one item she once gave them

When a person spends their life giving without hesitation, that habit shows up in the people they leave behind. Heidi Anne Han’s grandmother built that kind of legacy, having raised six children, becoming a grandmother to 26, and making each one feel like they were her favorite. So when she passed away, all of her loved ones showed up at her funeral wearing something she had once handed them with no occasion, just because they liked it. The moment was captured in a heartwarming video captured and shared by one of her granddaughters, Heidi Aune, on her Instagram page @heidiannehan.

Heidi wrote in the caption, "Generosity was my Grandma’s middle name. As we celebrated her life, I looked around and was in awe at how she made each one of us feel like her favorite. All 26 cousins spoke that evening, and we each had stories to back up our beliefs. She was truly magical." She showed how the family gathered at Nelson Funeral Home to say goodbye, and every grandchild wore something she had given them. The video showed a line of family members pointing to rings, jackets, scarves, pins, necklaces, and more — each of them a parting gift received long before the funeral. 

"She quite literally gave us the clothes off her back and the jewelry off her neck. If you liked it, it was yours without hesitation," Heidi said in the video. "I said, 'What is that necklace, Ruby? Beautiful,' and she just immediately took it off," one woman recalled. Another showed her entire outfit and said, "The whole thing is grandma's, and this ring is grandma's." One line from Heidi summed it up best: "The beauty is we now get to live life with a piece of her we know she wanted us to have." This instinct to hold on to items that carry meaning is not new. In fact, research from the University of York indicates that the practice of keeping everyday items as mementos dates back at least 2,000 years. Children often like to keep items of their parents as mementos.

The video struck a chord with a lot of viewers, especially those who loved and lost in similar ways. @wildflowerfitt wrote, "It’s so interesting how all of the pieces are so different but seem to fit each individual person perfectly when they all came from the same original person, like all of you did." @rigelmakesstuff shared, "My Great Aunt Jean was famous in the family for, 'You like it? You want it?' and then immediately gifting the whatever." @megarooni44 said, "I am bawling my eyes out over this. This is the kind of family I want. The kind of grandma I want to be." @thebookofhelied's added, "What a beautiful way to say goodbye. Grandma would be so proud!"

@lexlovesnature shared, "This is how my grandma’s funeral was. My dad was 1 of 9 kids, and we have 40 grandkids. She sent EVERY single one of us a birthday card on our birthdays every year." @purity.mbogo.90 wrote, "The funeral is more of a life well lived with people around her... celebrating life." @anaiyah211221 chimed in, "Oh my gosh, what a lovely thing you all did to wear what she had given each one of you. Your Grandma seems like she was a wonderful lady and loved each and every one of you very much. What a wonderful family."

You can follow Heidi Aune (@heidiannehan) on Instagram for more daily life and family content.