On Feb. 25, 2024, a very special friend for over 23 years passed away after a three-year battle with cancer. His name was Mark Aaron Wade, and he was 62 years young. Though challenged greatly by his diagnosis, Mark was forever grateful to God for his wife, his kids, and for his grandchildren. He was very much a hands-on dad with his three children, and he volunteered many hours in coaching their respective sports teams.
But Mark was unique. He loved the fact that he was not only a coach but also a teacher. He challenged kids both mentally and physically, while inspiring them to show, above all, how to win and lose gracefully. He also preached about friendship, camaraderie among teammates, and how those lessons would prove invaluable when they got older.
Mark possessed a larger-than-life disarming smile. He was fiercely loyal to those he cared about. He was equal parts confident and humble. At his funeral, and at the reception following, it was evident how profoundly Mark touched people's lives.
A common theme in the many testimonials given both after the Mass and at the reception, was this: Mark was a seasoned real estate agent/broker/owner, who, with his wife Cathy and their family, acquired investment property. But it wasn't the investment properties that people talked about. It was the time Mark spent "investing" in people.
He cared about "what" you were doing in life, but he was significantly more concerned with "how" you were doing. The testimonial that most exemplified Mark to me related to his decision to forgo his real estate commission so his clients could afford their first home. What an amazing model of compassion and generosity.
The teachings of St. Vincent de Paul resonated with Mark and Cathy, who've been consistent and generous supporters for many years. Mark lived a life grounded in humility, and committed to lifting people up. I had the honor of knowing Mark personally, and will continue, I am certain, to learn more about him through Cathy as the years pass. Although many of you never met Mark, I know his family and St. Vincent de Paul would be so blessed if, during this Easter Season when we celebrate the Risen Christ, you would make a gift to our mission in honor of this amazing man. If there were multiples of Mark Wade bringing Christ's grace to the people in his daily life, in the way Mark did, the peace we pray for to ease the burdens of those we serve would be instantly more abundant.
Yours in Christ,
Brian Ferschweiler - Executive Director