Young Man With Down Syndrome Plays Saxophone At Grandpa's Funeral - Staff Picks

Matt Lomaka loves to play saxophone. It was fitting that Matt would play saxophone at his Grandpa’s funeral. This touching tribute to his grandfather “G” left the funeral attendees in tears and everyone who has since watched the video!

Judging by the social media comments, Matt and his grandfather were very close. But we didn’t need to read the comments to know this. Clearly, the emotion behind Matt’s saxophone playing at his Grandpa’s funeral is testament enough to how special this mentor was to Matt. He chose such a lovely song of praise to play for his tribute, “Here I am, Lord”. As the funeral goers sang along, Matt offered a truly moving musical goodbye to a beloved family member.

“I, the Lord of sea and sky / I have heard my people cry. / All who dwell in dark and sin / My hand will save.”

What a beautiful piece to choose for such a difficult moment. It clearly meant a lot to the family and we think Matt must have put a lot of thought into what piece he could play that would be special for his grandpa as well. The song is known for its conversational layout between our Heavenly Father and the believer. It’s such a great reminder of how God walks with us daily!

“Here am I, Lord. Is it I, Lord? / I have heard you calling in the night / I will go, Lord, if you lead me / I will hold your people in my heart.”

Written by Dan Schutte, “Here I am, Lord” has become a favorite hymn of many. Originally penned as a ordination response, God calling a believer into service much like Samuel was called by the Lord in the Bible (1 Samuel 3). “I feel so grateful that God seems to have chosen that song to accompany people through so many moments of their life…. I didn’t plan that. I didn’t know that the song was going to be special. I’m very aware that God is doing something beyond me …”

We couldn’t think of a more fitting song for Matt to play for his Grandpa as a final send off into the arms of the Father!