My cousin Mark Collier died Sunday night. He was my sister Carol's age. He suffered from liver cancer I think. I didn't know him well after we grew up but when we were kids we spent lots of time together.
I remember we used to play together often until they moved away. Even then we would go visit in the summer and go to their ball games with them. The highlight was always an icee after the game. I remember going to the beach once with them. All 6 of us kids were piled into the back of their station wagon. We played around the whole way there and back.
Mark was very smart and worked in the computer industry. I believe he was some kind of programmer. His dad, my uncle was a computer programmer for Diners Club while we were growing up.
Mark was always unsettled and searching. He just couldn't seem to find what ever it was he was looking for. I think it was God he was looking for and I wonder if he ever found him?
I remember he and his wife joined a religious group that we all said was a cult. They gave all their money to them and about starved. Once they had no food and only coffee to drink. They used the frosting off their wedding cake in the freezer to sweeten their coffee. He finally left that sect but I don't know if his wife ever did.
I hope that sometime next month I can take my dad out to Denver to see his brother, my uncle so they can console each other. This is the first of my cousins to die. He was the oldest but he was only in his mid fifties.
My dad has two brothers, Charles (Marks dad) and Richard. Uncle Charles lives in Littleton. Colorado and uncle Richard lives in Barataria, La.
I am sorry that Mark had to suffer so much with his health and ended up dying so young. I wish we had know each other better as we got older.
I will post his obituary if I can find it or when it gets published.
