What really sucks in life is that my best friend and husband of 16 and a half years, the commenter known as Spellcrafter, died june 16th of a lung cancer he didn't have 4 months ago.
He really enjoyed his time reading the Paizo boards and I thought you all may want to know that he hadn't just disappeared of his own free will.
John T. Marker Jr.(Spellcrafter) 9/3/74-6/16/10
I'm so sorry for your loss. Thank you for the amazing consideration in letting us know.
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What really sucks in life is that my best friend and husband of 16 and a half years, the commenter known as Spellcrafter, died june 16th of a lung cancer he didn't have 4 months ago.
He really enjoyed his time reading the Paizo boards and I thought you all may want to know that he hadn't just disappeared of his own free will.
John T. Marker Jr.(Spellcrafter) 9/3/74-6/16/10
I am so sorry to hear it. I wish all the best for you and your family at this terrible time. Thankyou so much for taking the time to tell us what happened.
What really sucks in life is that my best friend and husband of 16 and a half years, the commenter known as Spellcrafter, died june 16th of a lung cancer he didn't have 4 months ago.
He really enjoyed his time reading the Paizo boards and I thought you all may want to know that he hadn't just disappeared of his own free will.
John T. Marker Jr.(Spellcrafter) 9/3/74-6/16/10
I was about to complain on my poor little problems when I read that.
That puts things back in perspective.I am sorry. You have my sincere condolences.
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What really sucks in life is that my best friend and husband of 16 and a half years, the commenter known as Spellcrafter, died june 16th of a lung cancer he didn't have 4 months ago.
He really enjoyed his time reading the Paizo boards and I thought you all may want to know that he hadn't just disappeared of his own free will.
John T. Marker Jr.(Spellcrafter) 9/3/74-6/16/10
He will be missed. Our prayers are with you and your families.
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What really sucks in life is that my best friend and husband of 16 and a half years, the commenter known as Spellcrafter, died june 16th of a lung cancer he didn't have 4 months ago.
He really enjoyed his time reading the Paizo boards and I thought you all may want to know that he hadn't just disappeared of his own free will.
John T. Marker Jr.(Spellcrafter) 9/3/74-6/16/10
My sincere condolences. He was a good man.
What really sucks in life is that my best friend and husband of 16 and a half years, the commenter known as Spellcrafter, died june 16th of a lung cancer he didn't have 4 months ago.
He really enjoyed his time reading the Paizo boards and I thought you all may want to know that he hadn't just disappeared of his own free will.
John T. Marker Jr.(Spellcrafter) 9/3/74-6/16/10
I'm deeply sorry for your loss. I lost my wife to cancer when she was only 37, and I can only begin to imagine your pain and loss.
Hopefully friends and family are reaching out to you and trying to help. In my experience it's a good thing to let them help as much as you can. It takes some of the burden off of you, and it lets them contribute.
I have no words that would even begin to be adequate. I can only offer my deepest condolences.
I'm terribly sorry to hear that.
What really sucks in life is that my best friend and husband of 16 and a half years, the commenter known as Spellcrafter, died june 16th of a lung cancer he didn't have 4 months ago.
He really enjoyed his time reading the Paizo boards and I thought you all may want to know that he hadn't just disappeared of his own free will.
John T. Marker Jr.(Spellcrafter) 9/3/74-6/16/10
You have my deepest condolences. He will be missed here.
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Contributor, RPG Superstar 2012
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What really sucks in life is that my best friend and husband of 16 and a half years, the commenter known as Spellcrafter, died june 16th of a lung cancer he didn't have 4 months ago.
He really enjoyed his time reading the Paizo boards and I thought you all may want to know that he hadn't just disappeared of his own free will.
John T. Marker Jr.(Spellcrafter) 9/3/74-6/16/10
Just read this. I'm very sorry for your loss.
My condolences. That is way too young to go.
:
John was born on Sept. 3, 1974 in Bethesda, Md. to John T. and Margaret "Peggy" (Kinter) Marker. He attended the local schools along with his brothers, Dan and Dave. During junior high school, John Jr. met his future wife, Naomi McAtee. Several years later, they became reacquainted while in German class in high school. John and Naomi were married on Nov. 27, 1993, in Loveland, Colo. To this union were born four children: Kadrin, Jarrod, Alyse and Mira.
John had two Masters degrees and also did his doctoral studies at Penn State Univ., State College, Penn. He had worked in Colorado as a transportation planner but decided to go back to school to become an accountant. He worked as an accountant for the Dyno-Nobel Co. in Louisiana. Upon moving to Missouri, the Marker family joined the First Assembly of God Church in Troy and were embraced by their church family. Surviving are his loving family: his beloved wife, Naomi Marker, of Troy; his parents: John and Peggy Marker Sr. of Loveland, Colo.; his four adoring children: Kadrin, Jarrod, Alyse and Mira; his brother: Dave Marker of Louisville, Colo,; his in-laws: Norman and Mary Lou McAtee of Loveland, Colo.; Charise and Shane Sullivan, of Duluth, Minn.; other relatives and friends.
Funeral service was held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 20, 2010 at the First Assembly of God Church, 432 S. Lincoln Dr., Troy. Rev. Darrell Alley officiated. Visitation was held on Saturday, June 19, 2010 from 5-8 p.m. at the McCoy-Blossom Funeral Home, 1304 Boone St., Troy. Memorials may be made to the Marker Children's Education Fund, c/o the funeral home. Family and friends are invited to sign our on-line guest registry at: www.mccoybossomfh.com
There seems to be an educational fund set up for the 4 kids in care of the funeral home, but I don't how to contact the funeral home.
If anyone has any further information on how to support this fund please share.
** spoiler omitted **...
I want to thank all of you for your very kind replies. I spent some time last night going through John's old posts and was glad again that he'd found a place he liked so much.
I don't want to take money under false pretenses. John left us well provided for including accounts for the kids. The fund was the funeral home's idea and my intention is to use any money to take the kids to Defiance, MO and maybe a couple of other local historical places to replace the Colorado vacation that never really happened.
If you are still interested the funeral home's phone number is (636)528-8244 and they take credit card charges and then write a check in my name.
Thank you all again for the on-line home you provided for John and your kind thoughts and prayers for those of us you've never met.
Naomi
I'm usually a nut and a goof around here on the boards, but I do have my serious and sober moments. This is one of them.
The guy who started up the page may as well be my step-brother from another mother as his mother and my father have been together since '76 but never chose to marry. His son has gone through an awful lot as he had to combat cancer just shortly after being born ... and the very medicine that was used to combat this ... is killing him.
The only way I can really describe his condition now -- has anyone ever seen the Metallica video, 'One'? The snippets are based off the book/movie, Johnny Got His Gun. As of this past week, it is literally his current existence and for the next one to two weeks before he leaves us.
I'm not a religious person nor I'm not in any mood to read about the understanding of a deity's plans for the life and death of an innocent. But those of you who are inclined, feel free to drop in that forum and give him your regards. I know he could use some.
Peace & Rainbows.
I'm usually a nut and a goof around here on the boards, but I do have my serious and sober moments. This is one of them.
The guy who started up the page may as well be my step-brother from another mother as his mother and my father have been together since '76 but never chose to marry. His son has gone through an awful lot as he had to combat cancer just shortly after being born ... and the very medicine that was used to combat this ... is killing him.
The only way I can really describe his condition now -- has anyone ever seen the Metallica video, 'One'? The snippets are based off the book/movie, Johnny Got His Gun. As of this past week, it is literally his current existence and for the next one to two weeks before he leaves us.
I'm not a religious person nor I'm not in any mood to read about the understanding of a deity's plans for the life and death of an innocent. But those of you who are inclined, feel free to drop in that forum and give him your regards. I know he could use some.
Peace & Rainbows.
I will sned prayers and best wishes his way.
~snarls and curses~ Dang napit! The bloody fan motor to my AC / Heating unit may have died. And I do not have the money to replace it. And the temp has been regularly at 85+ degrees with several days of 100+. WTF am I suppost to do now? ~curses some more~
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~snarls and curses~ Dang napit! The bloody fan motor to my AC / Heating unit may have died. And I do not have the money to replace it. And the temp has been regularly at 85+ degrees with several days of 100+. WTF am I suppost to do now? ~curses some more~
Died with noise and the releasing of the magic smoke, or died silently? If the latter, it might be something fixable like worn brushes. Do you know any folks who tackle their own repairs to things like washing machines? They may be able to advise.
~snarls and curses~ Dang napit! The bloody fan motor to my AC / Heating unit may have died. And I do not have the money to replace it. And the temp has been regularly at 85+ degrees with several days of 100+. WTF am I suppost to do now? ~curses some more~Died with noise and the releasing of the magic smoke, or died silently? If the latter, it might be something fixable like worn brushes. Do you know any folks who tackle their own repairs to things like washing machines? They may be able to advise.
It died silently. My AC guy will get here within the next few days to look at it. Hopefully.
Relatively minor in comparison, but the NWN server I play on occasionally has apparently decided it hates me. I lagged out and DC'd and now can't log back in, despite that several other players are actively on, one of whom I can actually see is playing and how many people are online. Regardless of the relative unimportance of this it still infuriates me.
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I really need to get out of my mother's house. Not going to get into details, but I've been back for one day, and we've already gotten into a massive fight. She knows exactly where my buttons are and how to push them, and does so intentionally, and with alarming regularity. At this point, I'm so tired that I can't even stay angry about it.
I really need to get out of my mother's house. Not going to get into details, but I've been back for one day, and we've already gotten into a massive fight. She knows exactly where my buttons are and how to push them, and does so intentionally, and with alarming regularity. At this point, I'm so tired that I can't even stay angry about it.
~winces~ Ouch! Good luck with that. ~grimaces~ My suggestion (and it is JUST a sugggestion) is to not fight back. Keep calm and just ignore her obvious attepts to goad you into a confrontation.
~grins~ Yes, that is MUCH easier said than done. I hope that you can get out of there ASAP.
P.S. - I am here if you ever need to talk and / or vent.
I really need to get out of my mother's house. Not going to get into details, but I've been back for one day, and we've already gotten into a massive fight. She knows exactly where my buttons are and how to push them, and does so intentionally, and with alarming regularity. At this point, I'm so tired that I can't even stay angry about it.
+1 My folks and I fought like rabid dogs until i joined the army at 17 and got the heck out. In my case I was much more the problem than them, but I can't articulate how much our relationship improved when we got some space. It was a lot of space since I singed up for Korea.
Some families just do much better with some distance. I wish you luck!
Wow; that sucks; wow; really sucks; my sincere prayers and condolences; sad to loose him. :(
guess being in massive debt from the divorce and ongoing child custody doesnt amount to puddle of spit compared to that; thank for sharing; will remember him and his in my prayers; count on it.
What really sucks in life is that my best friend and husband of 16 and a half years, the commenter known as Spellcrafter, died june 16th of a lung cancer he didn't have 4 months ago.
He really enjoyed his time reading the Paizo boards and I thought you all may want to know that he hadn't just disappeared of his own free will.
John T. Marker Jr.(Spellcrafter) 9/3/74-6/16/10
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~snarls and curses~ Dang napit! The bloody fan motor to my AC / Heating unit may have died. And I do not have the money to replace it. And the temp has been regularly at 85+ degrees with several days of 100+. WTF am I suppost to do now? ~curses some more~
Sharoth, here is a technique you can use. It's not 100% effective, but does help if you follow all the steps.
1) Take all the pans you can get your hands on, fill them with water, and set out the pans overnight on any flat surfaces you have.2)Keep your windows open. (this can be hard if you live in a high-crime area, but lots of windows have locks/bars so you can open them a bit without fear of burglary when you aren't home).
3) Keep your shades drawn.
4) When the water gets low through evaporation, keep refilling the pans.
+
Try to expend little energy during the middle of the day, and keep drinking H2O!
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What really sucks in life is that my best friend and husband of 16 and a half years, the commenter known as Spellcrafter, died june 16th of a lung cancer he didn't have 4 months ago.
He really enjoyed his time reading the Paizo boards and I thought you all may want to know that he hadn't just disappeared of his own free will.
John T. Marker Jr.(Spellcrafter) 9/3/74-6/16/10
I'm sorry for your loss. He was a good commenter here.
Cold weather for one
Rabid and annoying dogs
John, also sorry for your loss, our prayers are with you.
I just found out the 5 month old daughter of one of the players in my tabletop game has had a stroke. Please keep him, his daughter, and their family in your thoughts.
I will keep her and them in my prayers.
I just found out the 5 month old daughter of one of the players in my tabletop game has had a stroke. Please keep him, his daughter, and their family in your thoughts.
My god. I will certainly keep her and her family in my prayers.
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It started on Saturday. Everything started on Saturday. Here's the breakdown:
Dramatis personae: Myself, "V" (my girlfriend), "T" (her mother), "A" (her brother, my best friend), "J" (my girlfriend's best friend), "S" (J's boyfriend), "C" and "B" (friends from work), "JT" and "DD" (my boss and his girlfriend)
SATURDAY
10:30 PM - I get off work. I go to see my girlfriend before she has to leave for an acting workshop in New Jersey. Her mother is supposed to come by and pick her up at 11:00 PM after her work gets out, in order to get some sleep at a motel and get to NJ around noon.
11:30 PM - "T" has yet to show up. "A" gets home and tells us that he's found out that his mother is skimming money from his college fund to pay for some secret trip to Portugal. "V" begins to have a minor breakdown.
SUNDAY
1:00 AM - We all give up waiting and go to bed.
4:00 AM - Everyone wakes up and starts preparing to leave at 5:00 AM. "A" calls "T" and fails to get a response. "V" ceases to have a minor breakdown, and begins to have a major breakdown.
5:00 AM--6:30 AM - "A" calls "T" again, and "T" replies that she had forgotten all about the trip. I lose it and put my fist through a plywood door. "J" and "S" show up. "S" gives me his GPS, and myself, "V," "J," and "A" all get into MY truck and get gasoline. I call my boss' girlfriend "DD," and tell her to tell "JT" that I won't be coming to work. Thankfully, she's got no problem with it, and is able to find a replacement.
7:00 AM - I take a fistful of caffeine pills and start driving to New Jersey.
1:30 PM - I start to have hallucinations due to sleep deprivation, and pull off to the side of the road. Since no one else in the car has their driver's license, we wait an hour as I take a nap.
3:30 PM - We finally make to Westminster College, and help "V" get checked in.
3:55 PM - "A," "J," and myself get lost trying to leave the Rider University campus.
4:45 PM - I start to crash, mentally, and pull over to take another nap.
7:30 PM - I get up, and find a message on my phone telling me that I need to report into the Washington County Courthouse for jury selection at 7:45 AM. We start back for New York.
11:30 PM - I drop off "A" and "J," and head home. I try to sleep, and manage to do so around 2:00 AM
MONDAY
6:30 AM - I get up, find my rather unused suit, and drive two hours to Fort Edward, NY.
8:45 AM - The selection process begins. We are all grilled about ourselves for two hours.
3:00 PM - After six hours, I find out that I've been deemed unfit for jury service because my Straight Edge background makes me biased against violent drunk drivers. I drive two hours back home.
5:00 PM - I get to my mother's house, ditch my shirt and tie, pick up my guitar, and drive another hour to an all-ages folk gig in Schroon Lake, NY.
6:30 PM - The gig starts. I've gotten about eight hours of sleep in the past two and a half days. I start unplaying the guitar. An hour in, a beetle crawls up my pant leg and begins having a panic attack in my crotchal region. I stop playing, start doing the Stan Laurel dance and swear in front of a bunch of kids and old people.
10:00 PM - The gig ends. Thankfully, no one's mad. Except me. I start to drive home.
10:30 PM - I almost fall asleep at the wheel and nearly drive off the road into a lake.
11:00 PM - I get home and find about fifteen unanswered e-mail messages which I feel compelled to address.
TUESDAY
2:00 AM - I finally get some sleep, and sleep through the night and morning.
1:00 PM - I wake up, and am immediately told by my mother that she's hired someone to pave our 1/4-mile dirt road of a driveway. I tell her in no uncertain terms just how bad of an idea this is. I won't go into detail.
4:00 PM - I head to work.
4:15 PM - Upon arriving at work, my friend "C," tells me that our friend "B" was badly injured in a drunken motorcycle accident, and is in the hospital. Apparently, "B"'s blood alcohol content was close to .21 when he ran his motorcycle into the ditch, puncturing his stomach and large intestine, and rupturing his spleen. He's going to make it, but he'll have a colostomy bag for the next six months. It was a little scary watching a really tough guy like "C" break down like that, and I was kind of shell-shocked for a while after he left.
5:00 PM - The entire computer system crashes. I have to start telling angry stupid people that they need to pay in cash or make a house charge (basically, a fancy IOU). This does not go well.
10:30 PM - I finally make it out and go home.
I am ready to end someone.
I got a one line note from my dad today. My grandmother's cat, Foot, died.
In that one line Dad told me that Foot had stopped eating awhile ago and was down to less than ten pounds when they finally broke and put him to sleep. Foot was just under thirty pounds when last I saw him, more because he was the size of a small golden retriever than because he was fat. I know he was in his late teens. I know Grandma loved him more than she loved me. I don't care about these things.
I care about the fact that they tortured Foot by letting him starve down to a furry skeleton before ending his pain. No being should go through that. It's a hell of a way to treat something you claim to love.
What really sucks in life is that my best friend and husband of 16 and a half years, the commenter known as Spellcrafter, died june 16th of a lung cancer he didn't have 4 months ago.
He really enjoyed his time reading the Paizo boards and I thought you all may want to know that he hadn't just disappeared of his own free will.
John T. Marker Jr.(Spellcrafter) 9/3/74-6/16/10
Oh my... My condolences.
This means nothing when compared to the recent tragedies afoot but my internet is being shut off tomorrow and will not be turned back on until they're paid $131. And I have $3 to my name.
At least it's not the electricity.
But this means I can't put up the pics or carry out the transactions to sell the minis I need to sell in order to pay the internet bill. No the library won't let me upload things.
Oh hor-ray...
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Got pulled in to work a construction job on 20 minutes notice yesterday. It was pouring rain, so I had to work without my glasses. We were laying down floor insulation and some rebar so that we could lay pipe and pour concrete later. About two hours in, I f+@~ing gashed my hand open on a piece of reinforcing wire. I worked the rest of the shift, and went home. I was able to patch it up myself with tape and superglue, but I've got an all-ages gig on Monday, and I don't know if I'm going to be able to give it 150% like I usually do.
On the plus side, I got paid half again my regular wage for the job, and I have a healing factor that would put Wolverine to shame, so there shouldn't be any lasting trouble.
It's been about a year. I still have a hard time with it. The anger and bitterness make it hard to believe it's been a year.
I spent time today helping his wife with the house and furniture and trying to deal with the mundane trivialities of life that must be addressed that seem so absurdly trivial in face of this kind of loss. It reminds me of when my wife died of cancer. It seems, somehow, wrong and offensive that the rest of the world just goes on and these things still have to be seen to.
It's not easy for me, but it's agony for his wife that I can't even begin to articulate.
Mike was a truly exceptional man. He was a man of intellect, integrity, and compassion. He was a fine role player and number cruncher.
He would have argued for a humane and progressive social safety net while he quietly supported local private charities with his time and money anonymously with out ever taking a bit of credit.
He was the kind of friend you could call at two in the morning because you couldn't drive home from the bar safely, but he was killed by a drunk driver.
Some people believe that there is some kind of karma or justice in the universe. Forgive me if I don't see it.
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Friday, April 17, 2009
A time of loss
Current mood:Devastated
Category: FriendsI saw poem that made me mindful of the profound loss of a dear friend. The poem originated regarding another man I admire, but reminded me of a recent loss.
Unhappy year! that holds the hand of Death
And robs us all of friends whom we hold dear,
I pray the Spring should give you quickened breath
And wash away this mist of somber fear.I know no words to slow the march of time.
No plea can stay the seasons or the knife.
I know too well the feebleness of rhyme
In capturing the beauty of a life.And yet I speak, for silence will not bide
The loss of Great Men, whom we miss so well.
From loss, no living man can truly hide
And so we choose these stories...
Mike's killer is getting a re-sentencing hearing today, so I get to spend all afternoon in court.
This just tearing Peggy's heart out. It seems like any time she starts to get some peace some legal crap like this comes up and tears her wounds open again.
7:00 AM - I take a fistful of caffeine pills and start driving to New Jersey.
as a native of new jersey, i can assure you that visiting that tymora-forsaken place will only make a bad day worse.
just kidding. hang in there, mr shiny.
Peggy wanted some company after court so we had an impromptu grilling of the brats. Her mom, and sundry friends and family showed up. It was actually pretty cool. We got to catch up with some old gaming friends. Court was rough; it was hard hearing Mike's mom and everyone making make their victim impact statements again, and the ADA forgot to call me which may have been for the best. My first victim impact testimony was pretty bitter and harsh. I'm always impressed with Peggy's courage. Mike's killer got a year knocked off his 11 year homicide sentence, but his minimum time before a parole hearing stayed the same, so I can live with that. His lawyer has the stone to actually request probation less than a year into his sentence, so it could have been a lot worse. I didn't get home until about ten tonight, and when I did Fort Carson was playing taps. I suppose that's appropriate.
My friend who is supposed to be picking me up from the airport in SC in a little over a week just got into an accident. Her car is messed up bad because she drove over a stump in her yard and wrecked her drive train. Fortunately she is okay, but my traveling plans are slightly FUBARed...
Having to deal with this. I have posted this via Facebook by way of a public link.
Having to deal with this. I have posted this via Facebook by way of a public link.
WHAT!?! Major :(
Why in the world did they do that so quickly? :/ I'd not sure whether to readily comment quickly in public until others had a chance to view for themselves.
Ugh....
Having to deal with this. I have posted this via Facebook by way of a public link.
Shoot, I hope I'm never in need of shelter... that's appalling.
Having to deal with this. I have posted this via Facebook by way of a public link.
That is sad, my friend.