Mark Gary Thurman

I like to remember Mark before the alcohol demon seized control of his life. He was smart, funny, handsome and compassionate. His quick, friendly wit and welcoming smile allowed him to make friends effortlessly. Mark's heart was the biggest when he was protecting or defending somebody or something that needed help. I remember a family vacation, where somebody (his Big Brother) put a sand crab down his swimming trunks. He was probably 7 or 8, still painfully modest, and chose to walk all the way back up to our hotel room to get the crab out of his shorts. Once back in the room, he seized the crab and threw it out of the 2nd story balcony window. Apparently he heard the creature hit the sidewalk and felt so bad that HE had hurt the crab, that he refused to go back down to the beach for the rest of the day. He loved to ski. I remember he and I drove up to Alta one beautiful, bluebird day, and the ski resorts were packed with skiers. We decided that we didn't want to pay for a day pass only to stand in line, so we decided to hike up the mountain opposite Alta. An untouched bowl of fresh pow beckoned. It was a grueling hike, in ski boots and carrying our skis, but it turned out to be 20 of the most memorable turns in my life. Mark and I shared an interest in Quentin Tarantino movies, and when I was back in Salt Lake City for Christmas I wore a University of California - Santa Cruz t-shirt that my daughter (a UCSC student) had given me. It had a big image of the school mascot, the Banana Slug, plastered across the front. Mark was quick to recognize that it was the same t-shirt that John Travolta wore in "Pulp Fiction". I put the shirt under the Christmas tree as a present from Santa Claus. Of course, it was too small, but when Ariya returned to campus, she bought and sent him a new one. Rest in peace Mark...Scott