Mark's father Andy passed on May 5 this year. In one way it was very expected in another sudden and shocking. After all that we've been through I can honestly say that I don't think anything really can prepare you or make you feel prepared for those kinds of moments. He is really an amazing man and I wish I would have had the chance to know him better. My memories of Andy are of a man who loved to tell stories and remember the past. I think his favorite story to tell was about how his father ferried their big car (maybe a Cadillac) across the Atlantic and then had to maneuvered it around the much narrower streets of Europe doing genealogy. He was always fascinated by learning and was always researching things or listening to various news reports and other ideas and soaking it all up. It was obvious by the remarks made at the funeral that many of his hobbies had been passed down to his children - mostly a love of computers, genealogy, and nature that included hiking, fishing, and gardening. Andy was an ophthalmologist by profession following in the footsteps of his father. One of the things that was also spoken of at the funeral that I thought was a very poignant remark was that he had often compared his accomplishments to those of his brother who was a world-renowned paleontologist and felt that he came up short. In reality Andy's work blessed the daily lives of many people in remarkable ways, helping to improve their eyesight and allow them to see.
The upside of it all was that for the first time in at least a decade all five of his children were gathered together and enjoyed a few days with each other.
