Thank you very much Bonnie, Dabney, Frank, Lily of the Valley, Maurine H, Beth W. De Burca, Josie, Lorraine, Chef Zee, NP, Linda C, Elizabeth S…. Everyone, 30-year friends who have weekly lunch dates with my brother, his co-workers, all of us are in near total shock. I am very grateful to him for the group email. We discovered today that this was meticulously planned and carried out as everything my brother did. He paid all his bills in advance, he kept his responsibilities up to the last moment. He cleaned and organized everything, sole things so nothing for his family to do, even selling his car and getting a rental. There is a month long wait in Oregon to buy a gun and after sending us the group email and saying how much he loved everyone and explaining why, and not to look for blame. He drove to a deserted rural park, notified police where he was, and then shot himself. I cannot believe this gentle, kind person who loved nature, his boys, flowers, animals, his home, sailing…is gone. I’m grateful he went to see our parents and implanted very wonderful last memories. Mark was very traditional. His values were that you worked hard and provided the best possible for your family and he did that. His weekly lunch dates were with his friends from HS. My sister is married to one of his HS friends. He gave his family a beautiful lakefront home and his two boys, John-John and Adam all the care, love, education, fun that a father possibly could. Over and over in his email he apologizes to his boys and us, but to them esp. He lost his home and marriage that meant so much. He gave his wife everything uncontested and thought by doing that she’d see what a good guy he was and somehow that would mend whatever rift had occurred that none of us understand. I know his self-esteem was very tired up with success and doing the right thing, providing. When that came apart after decades and so much hard work, it seemed like all the worst stressors came at once and no one imagined that he wouldn’t just do as he always did—some marvelous new thing. My Dad said “I will miss him with all of my heart for the rest of my days, but I’m going to respect his wishes.” To remember the good things and not this sad, inexplicable, unbelievable end. Mark of the big smile, the indomitable spirit, the great skier, the completely doting father, the clean-cut all around great guy that his Chinese orthodonist named his first son after because “Mark All American Good Guy.” Thank you for your good wishes that really help. This will be with us the rest of our lives but I am determined to do something good for my brother. To turn every thought to how much I love, admire and will miss him. Am so sorry I couldn’t have known and had the chance to try and fix what was wrong. Thanks for helping me pray my brother Mark into heaven where he belongs. I am sorry for the stupid things we humans allow ourselves to invest emotion in when we could be paying closer attention to the duty that is closest at hand. He did. He was too sweet and too sensitive and now he’s gone. But I hope someday to see him again and in the meantime will just be grateful he was my brother and love him till my end. Thank you again, very much. And thank you too our darling Markey-Parkey.