Thank you all for gathering here today. I wanted to share with you some of Mary's life since I met and came to love her. Our love, respect and friendship truly transcended our mere physical existence. When I first met Mary, in January 1996, she was broken in nearly all ways, financially being the most obvious. At first, I was simply compassionate, but not for long. Somehow she gave me insights into her ingenuity, intelligence and capacity to care and love. Her artistic side was matched by few, if any. She became my DaVinci and I her devoted patron. During the next few years, Mary followed me wherever my work took me. She simply quit her job and came to me. She even worked as my personal assistant on a New Jersey stint. The best time we had in these days were when we lived in “The Big Apple” in midtown Manhattan. She loved it! When I had a little time off, we walked everywhere. My next stint was in Milwaukee. Again, She quit her job to be with me. She loved the mid west people and went yard sailing and visited quilt shops to fill her time. As soon as she arrived, she did all necessary nesting to get us out of the hotel and into a small apartment. Near the end of this assignment, we were discussing finances when Mary stated, “Brian, you don't have to do this anymore!” I was 52, and as I ran the numbers (that is what mathematicians and engineers do), I discovered that I had become a money machine. So then we decided that we needed a place to retire. Mary did all the research and we selected the Nashville area. We moved into a hotel for ten months while our home was being built. Mary redrew the plans for the builder and he stopped using his own. We drove to the site on most days. One time, the builder invited us onto the deck. (The deck is where they layout the rooms below.) Mary stole the show as she proceeded to correct his interpretation from the architectural plans based upon hers. Do you see where I am going with this? Mary had taken complete charge while eliciting profound respect. The construction crew was snapping lines, obliterating others while scratching their heads. Later she repeated this leadership at their insistence. Meanwhile back at the hotel, we realized we had no significant furnishings. We went to all the places and we’re totally dismayed with the quality. Mary snapped, “Why don't we just make this stuff?” I said, “Where do we start?” Now I felt like the builder.
Brian's Tribute to Mary
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