A great man

My sister's husband died last year after a serious car wreck He was comatose the last ten days of his life. I was never able to thank Mark for being so devoted to my sister, and for being a strong and caring father to their kids.

Life seemed ominous at the start of their marriage. Both were teenagers. Neither had steady jobs. Mark earned minimum wage repairing shoes part time. Denise raised their new boy in a tiny mobile home. Relatives helped from time to time, buying groceries and dropping off other necessities. Mark and Denise struggled, but their love for each other carried them through.

After years of low-paying work, Mark landed a job with an oil company. He slowly proved his worth. Armed with only a high school GED and his own abilities, Mark rose from oil rig roustabout to mid-level executive by age 48. Undaunted by lack of formal education, he studied business and economics textbooks at home at night. Mark was truly a self-made man.

Last June, Mark and Denise were poised to move to Russia. Mark was to take over all human resources for the company's Russian operations.

And then he ran over an embankment on a rural road, and the unfulfilled dreams of Mark and my sister Denise were over. But they did have thirty wonderful years together, and raised two fine sons to carry on Mark's name.

I'm not sure if blogs can reach all the way to heaven, but just in case: Thank you, Mark