I hope you are impressed….David worked very hard on this and I helped too……keep shining over all of us you crazy diamond……we love you.

Quite a few memories come to mind as I write this: our wintertime brawl in elementary school before the lunch ladies got out to the playground; hanging out with friends while we were in high school; afternoons working at Microform; fishing up at the pier; a couple of playoff W’s in softball; spending time with Ryan and his famly up at Port Hope. The one I want to write about is dedicated to you and all the members of the Monteith Outdoor Hoops League during our high school years and after (Fritz, Ryan J., Nick, Cameron, Brian, Irv, Dan, Mike A., Tim D., and anyone who I may be forgetting).

A group of us used to meet up to play basketball on Sundays at the schoolyard at Monteith Elementary, which for a few of us including Mark and I was our first alma mater. None of us have since gone pro in basketball, but some of those games on Monteith’s eight-foot hoops were battles worthy of remembrance. Mark and Ryan weren’t there every time, but the regulars were always glad to see the two of them show up. Reinforcements meant that we would easily reach the six-player number needed for three-on-three. And who better to throw into the mix?

Mark became known for his defensive presence on the court. On one Sunday in particular, the opposition would rue the day that they faced off against him. Luckily, I was allied with Patterson for several of those games. The other team was lucky to hold onto the ball long enough to get a shot off, let alone put it in the basket. We came out with several wins and not a loss throughout the afternoon. Even Nick, who happened to be on the losing end, will admit that it was the greatest lock-down defensive performance that the league ever saw.

That kind of raucous energy is one of the things that I will always remember about Mark at his best. He was fun-loving and fun to be around. He will be remembered, and he will be honored at any reunion of Monteith League alumni.

Mark - You were a good friend, and we all wish you were still around. May the Lord bless you and keep you, may he make his face shine upon you and bring you peace.

On ne se connait pas vraiment, tu as un petit peu entendu parler de moi par Erica, moi j’ai beaucoup entendu parler de toi Je sais que la ou tu es on est polyglote, donc tu ne m’en voudras pas si je t’ecris avec mes mots a moi, ils seront d’autant plus sinceres.
Deja tu as le prenom que je voulais avoir quand j’etais mome…
C’est aussi le prenom d’un de mes bons copains, lui aussi un ecorche vif!
J’aurai toujours le regret de ne pas avoir pu te rencontrer. Peut etre un de ces proches week-ends, on aurait ete en train de se marrer sur les pistes su Colorado en snow… Ce sera pour une autre fois, dans une autre vie…

Je connais beaucoup de choses sur toi maintenant au travers de ta maman et de ta soeur qui t’adoraient et t’adorent. Je sais que tu aimais la peche et cela aurait ete cool de t’emmener pecher en mer, au large des cotes de ma Bretagne natale avec mes meilleurs potes. Je suis sur que tu aurais adore… Tu m’aurais appris la peche en riviere aux US… C’est pas un bon deal ca ? Disons que c’est juste partie remise…

Je sais aussi que tu etais quelqu’un de profondement meurtri mais sincerement altruiste et entier…
J’etais il y a peu a Fort Collins avec ta charmante soeur…sur “tes traces”… un drole de voyage initiatique mais qui m’a permis de voir ou tu vivais et rencontrer certains de tes amis. Tous n’ont que des mots tendres a ton egard.
Sache que tu resteras pour toujours dans la memoire des gens qui t’ont connu et aime.
Tu leur manques terriblement.
Ciao l’artiste! Amuses toi la ou tu es, la vie doit etre plus rose et les pistes enneigees a souhait pour la parfaite glisse!

Dans ta chanson ils disent: “see you at the Crossroads”,
chez moi on di tout simplement: Kenavo!

Stephane

Today is your birthday! You would have been 28 years old.

I wish we could celebrate somewhere together with mom.

Where you are now you are ageless. I believe endlessly happy and heathly and peaceful with God.

Thinking of you today and everyday.

Love,

Erica

Mark, Mark, Mark,

Oh, how I miss you and wish you were here so I could hug you and never let go.

I still look to the sky every night at our special star we always looked at together. You in Fort Collins and me in Grosse Pointe. I feel you are looking at it too, only now you are so much closer to it.

Mark, I love you and cherish every minute and second we had together.
Mutti

Happy birthday buddy. You were my first best friend and I can never express how much of a positive impact you had on my life. You were truly an amazing, unique, and kind-hearted person.

You will not be forgotten,
Micah

Today I had to go back to the “old neighborhood” and thought again of Mark and the neat kid he was. Like so many of us have said–he lives on in our heads and hearts and pops in and out over and over again. Until another time…

I.C.,

#33

Erica & Kathy- I know it’s been hard for you to get through every day since Mark died. I’m sure there are times when it seems like it will never get easier but as time goes on, it will. If your experience is anything like mine has been, you’ll take comfort in thinking of Mark every day for the rest of your lives. Even though the sadness may always be there in the shadows, there will come a time when it will dull and more often than not, it will be eclipsed by the happy, funny and cherished memories.

Love,
Meghan/Bianca/Mole

All I can get myself to say right now is Happy Birthday, Shark!!
I still have the pain of not having you with me. I miss you and think about all the time.
Love you,
Mutti

I see you and feel your presence all the time and all over the place. Whether it is somebody who looks like you or the same big tiger that you had in your room that suddenly appeared in the store window below me or the lady on the street today that had a bag from a store called “Brother”.

I think about you everyday and these are just small things that make me smile and think that maybe you are giving me a little sign.

I know this life will seem just like a blink of an eye when we are all reunited but I wish you were here for all the big moments and all the little ones, too.

I love you and miss you.

Erica

I can’t believe you would be 30 years old!

Wanted to wait to write to you on your birthday that you will be an uncle X 2. I’m having twins! I can imagine you would have been the coolest uncle, teaching the kids how to fish and snowboard and how to fix anything! Plus you would always let them have their music too loud! : )

They will know lots about their Uncle Mark as they grow up.

I love you and miss you everyday.

Bisous

Erica

Merry Christmas Mark. I know you were here with us on Christmas and everyday. In the last days I thought a lot about our Christmas mornings. Leaving milk and cookies and a carrot for Rudolph. Running downstairs at the crack of dawn and opening piles of presents. Remember when we got our Intelevison? Burger Time. Too cool.

You are with us in our hearts and memories forever and my boys will know lots about Uncle Mark.

I love you,

Erica

Not a day goes by that I don’t think of you and miss you so much. So many holidays and milestones that pass without you but I know you are here in spirit and as an angel taking care of so many.

I see you sometimes in my boys but I know that there has only been and will ever be one Mark Patterson! : )

I love you,

Erica

Sending you my love up to heaven where you are watching and taking care of us.

XO

Erica and Brieg & Mark

My boys are starting to write letters and words and my Mark likes me to write all the names of family, friends and his toys’ names on paper and he carries it around saying it’s his business card.

Today he asked me to write Uncle Mark on it for him : )

Think it was a sign from you that you will always be part of our lives.

I love you