Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Homage to my Dad-in-Law



Walter (Wally) Nathan Marks II passed over yesterday from cancer, surrounded by his loving family. It was a beautiful and amazing experience for me, my wife (his oldest kid), and my girls. He gave a lot for the world and always supported the underdog. He was also a reclusive man who enjoyed a piano and many newspapers.

Monday morning I drove home with one kid (the other had a different spring break week). We left at 1am, just happened that way, I had planned to sleep but my body had another idea. 5 1/2 hours later we arrived in the Bay Area from LA. My older daughter stayed at her grandparent's house where we had all been camping out. Wally had slipped into a coma several days ago.

The amazing thing was that his 50th wedding anniversary. We had a beautiful ceremony and then Wally passed on the next day. The cool thing was that my oldest kid (almost 14) wanted to be there, wanted to be in the room, she kept coming back in while we all took turns sitting with him. She even spent time with him alone.

I talked to her yesterday. She said that she, and everyone else were in the room as he took his last breath. She said she later touched him, "I've never touched a dead person, and it was my grandfather!" I told her what she had just learned over the last week was equal to a college education - and it could only be learned by her showing up in the way that she did!

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