Tribute to Jack J. Marsh

Jack J. Marsh: A Beautiful Life from July 18, 1926 to August 8, 2013

 

On Joel's blog, we like to talk about the things we are doing in his honor as well as record some of the special memories we have of Joel.  I hope this will provide a record of comfort for all who read it when they periodically visit and look back.  I feel bad that I haven't been as quick to update this blog - but there's always room for improvement and I'm looking forward to a multitude of new posts about some of the things we have been doing at Joel's cabin and beyond.  This post however, I wanted to do something different.  I wanted to pay tribute to my Grandpa Jack J Marsh who recently passed away on August 8th, 2013.  I thought it was only appropriate due to the mutual fondness that Jack and Joel had of one another, that it be included here on Joel's Blog.

Here are the online posts, to keep as a record...

Tribute.com

You only had to talk to Jack for a few minutes to know that he liked to have a good time. My favorite time with him was on an outing and we saw some round bales in a field. Jack said "Did you hear they're going to do away with round bales?" So I asked "Why?" His answer was "Because the cows aren't getting a square meal!" That was Jack. He will be missed. Sue Van Gheem, Friend

Posted by: Sue Van Gheem - Seymour, WI - friend   Aug 15, 2013

 

Tom & family,
I never met Jack but from the many stories Tom has told me I felt as if I knew him well. So sad to hear of the lose of a father, grandfather, friend and wonderful story teller.

Posted by: Thomas Ristau - Green Bay, WI - co-worker of Tom   Aug 12, 2013

I met you Dad several times through John and what a great man he is. Sorry to hear of your loss, but a true testament to his life is the great family he raised. I was glad I got to meet him. John

Posted by: John Schmit - Punta Carnero Ecuador - Friend   Aug 11, 2013

Jack will be truly missed I have many great memories of Jack at the deer camp
Al Totsky

Posted by: al totsky - Friend   Aug 10, 2013

hi marsh family i am sorry to hear about jack he was a very kind man i will miss him dealy take care love chuckie ready

Posted by: chuckie ready - friend   Aug 10, 2013

I have many memories of Uncle Jack; visiting the farm where he was always fixing a motor of some kind, his quick wit and great smile...being a kid I was always impressed with his gold or silver? tooth! I was also impressed with his snowmobiling skills(at the cabin) and his strength when he got buried in the snow. At the farm, Aunt June was usually baking some kind of dessert and Uncle Jack would come in the house for his morning break just when the dessert was coming out of the oven. He was always pleasant and made sure he said a few words to me (usually with a wink) to make me feel important. He was a big guy with a big heart and I'm grateful to have known him.
Thinking of you, Aunt June, and all of Jack's close family.
Jill (great niece)


Posted by: Jill Worley (Watermolen) - Green Bay, WI - niece   Aug 09, 2013

Grandpa was just a kid when he got his hands on one of these!

Legacy.com

August 09, 2013

Love at this time comes in the form of beautiful memories. I have so many with Grandpa Marsh, I could fill a book. He taught me how to plant potatoes, cook pancakes, and live life to the absolute fullest. A smile, joke, and a story from a younger, more adventurous Jack, are my favorite past times... The whole family is inspired by the love of Jack and June... May Grandpa's lessons live on in us!

~ 

Alyce Marsh,

Seymour, Wisconsin

- See more at: http://www.legacy.com/guestbooks/greenbaypressgazette/guestbook.aspx?n=jack-marsh&pid=166334570&page=2#sthash.8E0INt7P.dpuf

August 12, 2013
Dear Mrs. Marsh, Tom, Dale, Curt, John, Hali and Carey... So many years have passed since you were our neighbors but I still remember Mr. Marsh very well. He was a kind and funny man who always made us neighbor kids laugh. You were so blessed to have him in your life! So sorry for your loss. Hugs to you all, Mary Chris (Jobelius) Herzog
~
Mary Chris Herzog,
Suamico, Wisconsin

August 12, 2013
To the Marsh Family
Sorry to hear about your loss. Jack was a wonderful and caring person. I will always remember him and June walked in the mornings in Pulaski. I drove school bus and he always waved at me and gave me a great big smile. He will be sadly missed.
~
Tom & Debbie Wolf,
Bondule, Wisconsin

August 10, 2013
I will always remember Jack when he came in to the Pulaski Coop to have work done in the service station and to visit with all the employees. He was a kind and thoughtful man. Also all of his children and grandkids I met
through him were the best. You are all in my thoughts and prayers.
~
Joyce Winkler,
Gillett

August 10, 2013
so sorry to hear of jacks passing,when I work at the nursing home and he came into the dinning room,i would hurry and wait on him,he was just so so nice,loved all r talks,,blessing with your family,,,,Shelby van eyck
~
shelby vaneyck,
seymour, Wisconsin

August 10, 2013
Dear June and family-Sorry about your loss-Jack was a very nice friendly man and he had a great sense of humor.
Deepest sympathy- Dwyn & Don Smits


August 09, 2013
Love at this time comes in the form of beautiful memories. I have so many with Grandpa Marsh, I could fill a book. He taught me how to plant potatoes, cook pancakes, and live life to the absolute fullest. A smile, joke, and a story from a younger, more adventurous Jack, are my favorite past times... The whole family is inspired by the love of Jack and June... May Grandpa's lessons live on in us!
~
Alyce Marsh,
Seymour, Wisconsin

Love at this time comes in the form of beautiful memories. I have so many with Grandpa Marsh, I could fill a book. He taught me how to plant potatoes, cook pancakes, and live life to the absolute fullest. A smile, joke, and a story from a younger, more adventurous Jack, are my favorite past times... The whole family is inspired by the love of Jack and June... May Grandpa's lessons live on in us!

~ 

Alyce Marsh,

Seymour, Wisconsin

- See more at: http://www.legacy.com/guestbooks/greenbaypressgazette/guestbook.aspx?n=jack-marsh&pid=166334570&page=2#sthash.8E0INt7P.dpuf

August 09, 2013

Love at this time comes in the form of beautiful memories. I have so many with Grandpa Marsh, I could fill a book. He taught me how to plant potatoes, cook pancakes, and live life to the absolute fullest. A smile, joke, and a story from a younger, more adventurous Jack, are my favorite past times... The whole family is inspired by the love of Jack and June... May Grandpa's lessons live on in us!

~ 

Alyce Marsh,

Seymour, Wisconsin

- See more at: http://www.legacy.com/guestbooks/greenbaypressgazette/guestbook.aspx?n=jack-marsh&pid=166334570&page=2#sthash.8E0INt7P.dpuf

August 09, 2013

Love at this time comes in the form of beautiful memories. I have so many with Grandpa Marsh, I could fill a book. He taught me how to plant potatoes, cook pancakes, and live life to the absolute fullest. A smile, joke, and a story from a younger, more adventurous Jack, are my favorite past times... The whole family is inspired by the love of Jack and June... May Grandpa's lessons live on in us!

~ 

Alyce Marsh,

Seymour, Wisconsin

- See more at: http://www.legacy.com/guestbooks/greenbaypressgazette/guestbook.aspx?n=jack-marsh&pid=166334570&page=2#sthash.8E0INt7P.dpuf

Grandpa, you are a legend and a legacy we will all keep with us as we grow together with friends and family.  You have given us the example by which we strive to live our lives. Cheers until we meet again and take care of Buck up there, I'm sure he's in need of a fine mechanic.

 Wishing friendship, family and support to all those who read this blog... 

you keep the memories and the love alive.

May God Bless you always. 

 

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!

From Ceramics to Ceramic Tile...

Are they "plumbing" or putting down tile!  Say no to crack... haha!

Another Buck story for ya.  Many of you don't know that back in our younger years Joel and I spent a lot of time with my grandparents and started slowly taking on some of their hobbies.  For me, I tried to learn how to bake Grandma Marsh's famous pies - they really are the best.  Joel took on a few more artistic hobbies and started going to ceramic class with Grandma Marsh down the road on Country Rd VV.

There he was able to pick out ceramics, paint them up, fire them and use many of them to decorate his room, our house, and my room.  For a while there he was making really detailed designs and deer that appeared to be life-like.  He also made gallon jugs for Slab City which we displayed on our fire place for years.  I still have quite a few of his designs in my room, and I know that there's plenty more in storage.  The best part of doing ceramics with Grandma Marsh is that you could always save the eyes for her to finish.  The eyes were the hardest part, and most often the finishing touches.  The eyes brought the ceramic pieces to life - Grandma Marsh was perfect for the job.

When I thought of making a post to show you the ceramic floors - all of the memories of Joel painting ceramics came to me.  What an excellent hobby to add to his many skills at a young age.  Maybe that's why he wanted so much tile in his camp??  Who am I kidding - I think it's because you can clean it with a pressure washer in under 2.0 seconds...

The perk of putting tile down by the Camp Buck Shot Fridge!

Construction Fuel - Uncle Whitey's Food!

Moving on the floors, the whole great room is covered in tile.  You can only imagine how one's knees would feel after kneeling on the concrete all day to put the tile in place and then grout it all!  Thank goodness we had ample help from friends and neighbors, otherwise Curty would not be walking at the moment.  Ouch.

Ziggy Zaggy... Shnnufka!  Job well done!

One of the best features of having tile throughout the house, is the ability to heat it with boiling hot water.  Slab heat was a must when Joel was designing the house.  Who needs a basement, when you can head the slab and live right on top of its warmth!  It's also very energy efficient for the north woods - another thing Joel wanted to achieve in his place.

Speaking of energy efficiency, I'm reminded of another Buck story...  I remember when Joel was first learning about solar panels and solar energy in high school.  In order to take his knowledge to the next level, he decided to buy individual solar units on Ebay, and wire them up on a homemade solar panel mount which was made out of plywood and plexiglass.  He even painted it white for ample reflection.  As if building the panel wasn't enough, he wired it up to charge a large set of car batteries - one for energy use and one for energy storage.  Sounds cool right?!  Well, Buck wasn't satisfied, so he decided that it would be even more impressive to run our basement's energy (his domain of the house) completely off of solar power.  So about a week later, he and dad trip the breakers and the basement was running off of solar.  Hahah!  Yep, Buck was running his high school bachelor pad off of solar.   This was about the time when me, Joel, Dad, and the Winsand clan were into "getting off the grid"... so there was ample celebration of Joel's ability to remove himself from the power grid and sustain his needs through solar electricity!  Excellent.  Sooner or later, one of the panels tweaked out and the whole thing needed to be rewired... not necessarily worth it.  The basement went back on the grid - dahhh!  It was more the fact that he could do it that mattered to everyone - he definitely proved his point.

Debbie would be so proud... as Curty always says "He's so well trained..."

Well, now that you've heard some Buck Stories, I'll finally reveal how the tile looks!  Isn't is wonderful!?  I can't wait for when the boys see the tile!

The hallway by the bedrooms

The Great Room!  I absolutely loved how it turned out!

Wing Night Reunion!

Isaar Inn - Wing Party for Joel's Benefit and Clint's Birthday!

Ashley & Chad - Wing Party Winners!

While I was back in Wisconsin for the first week of summer break, we were able to all get together to have wings at Isaar Inn, just down the road from where Joel and I grew up on Isaar Road!  Ashley had won the Wing Party that Isaar Inn donated to Joel's Scholarship Banquet so it was about time to redeem the coupon and get the family together!  We worked to spread the word and the invitation and sat back to enjoy some wings and great company!

Matt, Ryan and Dan!

Shhhnick!

The Koeppel's made it out to Isaar - so great to see you all!

Clint Bodart was also celebrating his birthday, so it was double trouble on the wing party front!  It was so fun to see everyone and catch up - perfect timing over my trip back to the area as well.  I always seem to miss this little mini-reunions, but fortunately I made this one!  Dan and Katie just got settled into the area and it was excellent to see them out and about - we're so excited that they live close - I know Joel was so jacked that Dan had the interview up Marinette!

Hmmm, honey BBQ?  Can't quite be sure!

My twin - Alysa or as we call her, baby windpants!

Alyssa and I came dressed like twins without prior planning, and Bill showed us just how good the wings are at Isaar by leaving a delectable trail up his shirt!  The proof is in the stain(s)!

It was so wonderful catching up, and we're so thankful to all of our friends and family who made the trip out on a Wednesday night.  It's such a blessing that Joel has so many wonderful friends and family who continue to be a part of our lives.  We couldn't ask for more...


-The Marsh's

Joel R. Marsh Craftsman Scholarship

We were really looking forward to this year's academic scholarship banquet at Seymour Community High School.  Each year a large crowd of graduating seniors and their families gather into the auditorium for the awards and recognitions that students have worked so hard for.  We were very excited that the Joel R Marsh Craftsman Scholarship was going to be featured as one of those awards. 

In addition to our excitement and appreciation, we are so grateful because this very special scholarship was made possible through the generous donations of the community, and the hard work of Joel's friends and extended family.  The fundraising banquet that was held in Seymour allowed us to increase the amount donated to local graduates each year to support their continuing education. 

To bring the award full circle, we were pleased that some of Joel's friends from High School were able to present it to this year's selected students.  The students chosen were both so deserving of the award, and demonstrated many of the unique, compassionate qualities we were looking for.  We want to thank John Kollath, Robert Jankowski, and the Seymour High School Tech department and administration for making this all come together.  We feel honored to be a part of this event and to sponsor students in Joel's name.

We hope you enjoy the video of the event!

Thank you again for your overwhelming support and generosity.

Sincerely,

The Marsh's

Happy Mother's Day!

I was wondering if I should put a post on here about how awesome our Mom is - and I found that I just couldn't help myself.  For Mother's Day I wanted to include some adorable pictures of Joel shortly after our Mom officially became a mother - these are from the summer of 1986.  My adorable brother was only 5-7 months old at the time...

I love seeing photos of Joel as a little one, there's so many features of his face that have stayed the same over the years.  The emotions behind his eyes are priceless - always up to something...  He was such a funny little man always talking and jumping around.  As we like to say it, he was "all trach" back when he was little...

Baby Buck enjoying some solid foods!

Mom and Little Baby Buck during meal time! I think Joel continued to use this chair into his early 20s!

Enjoy the photos - I look forward to scanning in more photos (we just got a new scanner for just that purpose!) and sharing them with you all.

Have a wonderful Mother's Day!

Alyce

Joel showing me how to wave at Curty's camera!

The Buck Scholarship Benefit!

The Basket Prep Team! Getting in touch with your feminine side JED!

I'm sure all of you have been waiting for this post - because many of you had the opportunity to come to the benefit, and others want to how it all went down!  First, a little insight into the the planning!  Rickert drove up from Milwaukee early Saturday morning to hit up a round of golf and freeze his hands off before the big benefit - nice!  Later that morning, all those in the preparation party gathered the donations we received, baskets, stuffing, markers, and their creativity and headed over to Bergy's for the party preparation!  We invaded his house and slowly filled it full of sparkling tinsel and signs!  It was the hub of Operation Buck Benefit!

Bergy's Place - Operation Buck Benefit!

After getting everything prepared and inventoried - we loaded up the minivan (man I love Curty's Man Van - so handy!) and brought the loot to Jackson Point!  It was fun to get it all set up for the evening, and time was flying!  We were competing with DJ Skip for stage space and he was running around like crazy - DJ Skip is a busy man apparently!

The MAN VAN loaded up!

Right around 7PM is when the ticket selling began - the boys posted up in front of the baskets and manned the ticket station!  The lady's were running around and selling 50/50 raffle tickets!  Oh, and I forgot to mention - the place WAS PACKED!  The turnout was absolutely amazing!  It was only a week ago that Sam was plastering Seymour with fliers!

Our 50/50 Raffle Team!  Nice waist bank!

The night went by quickly and we tossed in a few door prize drawings of pint glasses and hats for those who came out to the benefit!  The 50/50 raffle winners were so generous and donated some of their winnings back to the cause!  It was just awesome - I can only imagine Joel's reaction to all this!  He probably wouldn't have liked the spotlight, but I am positive he is grateful we all got together to share some laughs, some shnuffka, listen to some country music, and help young bucks in the Seymour Community!  That's a perfect Saturday night in my eyes!

When the time came, DJ Jed jumped on the microphone and started raffling off the baskets!  There was such a variety - so it was fun for everyone to throw tickets into their favorite basket!  You could win pampering at Kapture Salon and Spa, at Sun Drop basket, children's toys and games, and the movie Kindergarten Cop!  There was something for everyone!

We cannot say thank you enough to the local businesses and individuals that donated items for the silent auction, basket raffle, door prizes, and gave monetary donations.  We never imagined the out-pouring of support that arrived for the benefit.  Absolutely amazing - words cannot express how thankful we are.




There are just too many pictures to include in one post, so I decided to include a large photo slide show for you to feast your eyes on!  You can also CLICK HERE to go to the web album of pictures from Buck's Benefit!

You are all so wonderful - thank you for your support!

Thank you from all who made this benefit possible, especially Justin Rickert, Jed Roffers, Kyle and Sam Bergsbaken, Van Gompels, Chris Westerhoff, Marc G, Jackson Point, and all those who contributed to making the benefit a huge success! 

As always, a warm and heartfelt thank you from...

The Marsh's

Thanks for the Wings Buck!

Flying home...

As many of you who follow this blog may know, we had the Joel "Buck" Marsh Memorial Benefit, but it was in Wisconsin... and I live in Pittsburgh.  A small obstacle to get over!  Rickert and I had been in contact about the benefit and were thinking about some dates that would work to host the gathering.  That's when I told him that Buck was flying me home for a little sneak surprise trip for my parents!  (Click HERE to link the blog post!)

Thanks Chris for helping with Buck's flights!

I came home on Wednesday night and surprised my parents!  It was funny because as soon as my Dad saw me he said, "Oh man, I was going to call you tomorrow to say that you should fly home for Joel's benefit!"  Ohhh, great minds think alike, and I was one step ahead of them!  It was fun to talk back in forth with Mom about the benefit and the amazing donations that were coming from every corner of Seymour and the community!  She would call me and say, "We received a beautiful basket today, what should I do with it?!?"  I would always respond and say that I had no idea what was going on, and that I would forward the info to Rickert - hahah! Joke!  I knew all along!  My mom also asked me if I could fly in for the weekend because she had no idea what this banquet would be like and needed a little help!  I said, sorry, I'm too busy with school.  Gotcha!

Wisconsin Springtime...

That week went by so quickly!  Thursday and Friday consisted of getting some odds and ends together for the benefit as well as spending some quality time with my Grandparents in Seymour.  It was fun to relax and have lunch with Grandma and Grandpa Marsh.  I also had the chance to go on daily dates with Lyssa.

It was so nice to be able to fly home, and what a gift that Joel gave me.  Together we surprised Mom and Dad and I was able to get home for some quality family time - the most important time of all.  Thanks BUCK!

A pair of Mallards on the pond Sunday morning...

Our treasured gifts...

On Christmas Eve day, we had the pleasure of spending time together and all of Joel's close friends.  We of course had a good time out the evening before and reminiscing about fun times together and good memories.  The next morning my parents hosted a breakfast with eggs, sausage, pancakes, and delicious pumpkin muffins (not a slow cooker egg bake!).  We had a great time talking about up north and getting some plans together about meeting up on the weekends and traveling south.

Red solo cups and breakfast, such a fun morning!

We drank our morning beverages out of red solo cups, and sang along to the song... "Let's have a party!!"  It was a fun morning full of laughs and happiness.  We have videos to prove it!

Before everyone had to take off to their respective Christmas parties, we received thoughtful gifts from the group that we will cherish for a lifetime.  My dad received a Buck Knife and my mom and I each a beautiful necklace with inscriptions of "Joel Buck".   The most touching is that Joel's finger print that is imprinted on the front of each of our pieces.  It is such a special way for us all to be together, and we greatly appreciate the thoughtful and treasured gifts.

Our thoughtful gifts that we wear every day to all stay close together.

Also that morning, Jerry was able to stop by and help us celebrate Christmas Eve, it was great to see him and catch up before heading over to the VanBoxtel Pavilion. He helped coach us through cooking all of the Christmas chicken on the grill thank goodness!

Mom and Jerry on Christmas Eve!

We had a wonderful Christmas with friends and family, and we want to say a special thank you to Joel's close friends which we have always considered an extension of the family.  Thank you for thinking of us and for the thoughtful keepsakes.  We feel so blessed that you are all a part of our lives.

-The Marsh's-

Boettcher Tree in Seymour...

We stopped to take a look at the Christmas tree that the Muehl-Boettcher Funeral Home decorates each holiday season in Seymour in honor of those served the past year...  We cannot thank the Boettcher family enough for their continued support and selfless service to those in the most vulnerable time of need.  We feel so blessed to have such wonderful friends who so generously serve the community...

Shining bright in the smell of evergreen...

Muehl-Boettcher Funeral Home Remembrance Tree

Thank you for all you have done for our family, and for all you continue to do to support families within the community...

-The Marsh's-