Mar,

I have so many fond memories of you that still make me smile today....

1. Scheider's Bay - Pulling up to your beach and hearing Frank Sinatra or Dean Martin blaring out through the trees

2. You gave me my first paid job painting your cabins and you never complained that I probably spilled more paint than what was put on the buildings.

3. Boating and hanging out with our family @ 8 mile with the Great Gatsby

4. You babysat my Uncle Danny and Auntie Moe's dog Baron and he ran away. You then hired every taxi in town to find him --- and they did

5. You learning the meaning of central air conditioning - We all came home on a hot summer night to you, in your parka, toque, and mitts-- cursing at how you kept "turning it up" and not realizing that you were making it colder and colder.

6. You calling long distance and insisting I listen to all of Madame Butterfly so that I can appreciate, "real music."

7. The nights my Mom was tired and how you would make us supper (orange rice) and have the house spotless when we came home so she could rest.

8. How I was told you visited my Dad, your best friend , EVERY day that he was sick in the hospital before he died.

9. How you lived with us all those years like a member of our own family and how you treated my own daughter as if she were your own grandchild every time you saw her -- she still has the stuffed Alf doll  and stuffed Laddie dog you gave me by the way. 

People who knew you always said I got my taste and love of music from you... (I think I was the only geek that cried in high school when Roy Orbison died). What they didn't know was that I also learned generosity, selflessness and how to choose the right people to be in your life who can act like your family and support you when you don't have your own around you. 

You've made your mark in the world by passing these down to me and will always be remembered. Thank you Marshall. 

All my Love - Alex