“I think George Harrison said it?-- “‘All things must pass.’”

It’s fitting that one of Mary’s favorite quotes came from a musician: music was one of her greatest passions. In her youth, Mary was a drummer, rubbing elbows during performances with the likes of Peter Cetera (of Chicago, one of her all-time favorite bands).

When his son Nick caught his first-ever catfish and proudly brought it inside to show his dad, Joseph said, “Cool! Now go put that back.”

Joe’s quick wit permeated his everyday life, and led to countless lifelong connections. His longest friendships lasted over 70 years. As his daughter Jennifer recalls with a smile, once you were friends with Joe, you were friends for life.

“If I can help somebody, I’m gonna do it!”

Mark O’Neil saw himself as a protector. He spent much of his life in service–first at the US Customs Dept, then at Port Authority Police. At the Port Authority he enrolled in law school to focus on Labor Relations. Additionally, he was a Police Canine Officer, a respected Police sergeant, and devoted himself to union organizing. He had a reputation for preventing trouble from happening–and when it did, he was the one getting people out of it.

“Independent to fault,” Anita’s daughter, Heather, says about her mother with a smile.

Raising Heather as a single mom, Anita had a strong conviction that there wasn’t any problem or obstacle she couldn’t work around. The physical therapists who worked with Anita throughout the years agreed: the ways that Anita had learned to adapt physically were absolutely “amazing”. When her lack of leg strength meant she couldn’t drive herself around, Anita attempted to learn to drive without use of her legs!

At 26 years old, Sean, a somewhat misanthropic, iconoclastic quipster and MENSA member, saw his MS diagnosis as a direct challenge. With no small amount of moralistic fury and determination, he chiseled his already strong will into a fine point with which to finish what he had started.

As the eldest on her family’s farm, Kathy grew up to the beguiling song of the open plains and prairies of Vermillion, South Dakota. The possibilities just over the horizon called out to her in a jangle of rockin ', soulful tunes that characterized the late 60s. She caught the travel bug early, catapulting herself to Switzerland in an exchange program during her teacher training at college. Extending her adventure long past the program ended, it was eventually time to head home and liaise with fate.

As a young woman, Nicole worked in real estate and ran maternity stores. She loved exercising and relished the joys and challenges of raising two young children. One morning upon waking, she was unable to empty her bladder, and was rushed to a hospital where she underwent extensive evaluation. She later recognized this as her first attack of a disease related to multiple sclerosis called Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder, or NMOSD.

In Honor and Memory of Kathleen Hart

In Honor and Memory of Robert Merritt

Do not look back, except to learn.

Do not look forward, except to grow.

In Honor and Memory of Sandra Moore