Joel's Golden Birthday

Joel R Marsh
February 27, 1986

Joel in the powder up in the UP.

This year would mark Joel's 27th Birthday, which makes this day and celebration all the more dear to our family and friends.  This year we celebrate Joel's Golden Birthday on February 27th.

Joel waving as I learn how to walk.  Matching pants are a nice touch!

Each time February comes around, we are always unsure how we should celebrate and remember Joel.  We particularly like celebrating Joel's life on the day that he first blessed us with his presence.  Birthdays should be fun, and we want to continue this tradition.  In saying this, we try to focus on the many wonderful years, months, and day that he touched our lives - and try not to count the days that we have been missing him so.

This year for Joel's Golden Birthday - if you wanted to do something little or something special in honor of Joel's gifts to us and to others - we thought it would be neat to celebrate by continuing Joel's legacy through his Scholarship Fund at Seymour High School.

Grandpa VanBoxtel and Joel working on the pallets with C&J!

The scholarship is set up to fund students who plan to pursue careers and advanced training in the crafts, skilled trades, and hands-on professions.  Joel loved shop class, and much of the furniture that we have in our home came from his love of labor and the art of woodworking.  We hope to encourage students to pursue these impressive, skilled careers, that may be overlooked by the traditional scholarship requirements.

In saying this, if you wanted to donate something small to the Joel Marsh Scholarship Fund as a way to celebrate his Golden Birthday, you can do so through the mail by making the check payable to:

Joel Marsh Scholarship Fund

We would prefer you send the donations to:
Curt & Deb Marsh
N9590 State HWY 55
Seymour, WI 54165

(so we can appropriately thank you for your generosity...)

Or, if you would like, you can send them directly to Baylake Bank:
Baylake Bank Seymour Financial Center
106 East State Road 54
Seymour, WI  54165

To read more about the scholarship, and see last year's ceremony, please CLICK HERE.

After a long days work at Lake Eva - Joel is the greatest tool in the bucket of the New Holland!

We would like to emphasize that small donations (even $5-$10) go a long way, and in no way do we want to pinch your pocket books in these hard times.  Joel would want to make sure you are able to go out to eat and spend quality time with friends and family - so please do not feel obligated to donate.  We simply wanted to make the information available, since many have asked how to donate to Joel's Scholarship.

We look forward to giving out two scholarships again this year, and will be working with Seymour High School to identify the perfect candidates for the special award.

We cannot thank you enough for your support in this endeavor - as many of you have already given generously to this cause.  We appreciate everything you continue to do for our family and in helping us carryout Joel's dreams and goals.  We are blessed to have you in our lives.


Happy Golden Birthday Joel!

We miss you Buck, but you remain close to us everyday, in that special place in our hearts.

Gift of Life Medal Ceremony

Last summer our family was invited to the annual ceremony of life sponsored by the University of Wisconsin.  This special event cherishes the gift of life and the forward thinking of Wisconsin citizens.  Many of you know, Joel expressed his wishes to our family and to the state to become a donor in the event of his passing. His selfless and honorable gift is something I personally look up to Joel for everyday - what a true hero. 

Governor Scott Walker and UW-Madison welcome you...

In school we have the opportunity to meet and interview organ and tissue recipients, and it is amazing that they can remember the day, down to the minute, of when they received the call that their match and new chance at life arrived.  They retell the phone call as if it were yesterday.  It's truly inspiring how this process can change the lives of both the donor and the recipient - it's a miracle of medicine.

Governer's Mansion in Madison, WI

I unfortunately was unable to attend the ceremony, and I was grateful that Mom and Dad were able to take the afternoon off to go to Madison to accept the award.  Curt was thinking ahead and sent a quick email to the Governor's office to tell them a little about Joel and the blessing that he has been and how humbled we were by his decision to donate life.  In addition to our experience with Joel, we also shared one of the beautiful letters we received from a young girl who was a recipient, and the letter started out with the words "To the Angel that Walked This Earth"  - I couldn't say it better.   It arrived at our doorstep only days before what would have been Joel's 26th Birthday.  The letter swept us off of our feet.

In sharing a small piece of our story, it must have swept the Governor's office off their feet as well, because in speaking about the medal ceremony, and addressing the crowd prior to the awards, the Lieutenant Governor included Joel's story in her speech.  My parent's were stunned and in awe of the opportunity to inspire others and provide hope to other families in a similar situation.  What a neat opportunity for Joel's story, selflessness and compassion to be recognized.  Many families are not as fortunate to hear from recipients as we were - and we are grateful for that everyday.  We hope the many other Wisconsin families are able to heal and find their choice to give life to others supported by all who surround them.

Medal of Life Ceremony - Madison, WI

After hearing that Joel was included in the opening speech at the ceremonies, I wrote to the Governor's office to thank them for their compassion, hard work, and dedication to Wisconsin.  They responded with...

"Alyce,
Thank you for contacting our office.  Please know that I have taken the liberty of printing a copy of your kindly worded letter in anticipation of showing it to the Lt. Governor.  I know that the Lt. Governor was extremely moved by your brother's story and your family's strength.  Friday's event was certainly a very special occasion to honor and remember those loved ones whose sacrifice have given life to others.

Thank you again for taking the time to reach out to our office.

Sincerely... The Lieutenant Governor's Office "

Joel R Marsh: Family. Hope. Life. Honor. Hero.

Camp Fence TV & Snowmobiling!

Bergs, Ben, and Chris putting up the TV!

A few men came up to Joel's cabin over Christmas to get in a few miles in on the snowmobiles and to help out with a few things around the camp.  One of those things was mounting the TV to the wall.  It's not really Joel's place until there is CMT or GAC playing every minute, of every day!

Uncle Buck Special at "Heh-hes!"

Getting some breakfast grub...

Thank you for your help boys!

Visitors: Jay & Perry

We were excited that Jay & Perry were able to make it up to see the progress that has been made to Joel's cabin.  It had been a while, so we took Joel's sleds out to celebrate.  Sabercat and the Cougar were ready to hit the trails.

Thank you for visiting!

Northern Beauty

There's something about Joel's cabin that is beyond comforting.   Down a block of northern Wisconsin country road, you can find woods, whitetail, wild turkeys, bison, cattle, family, friends, and dead ends.  I absolutely adore its location.  Here a few photos.

Enjoy.

A breath of fresh air.