My name is Joe Ueberroth and Mark Metherell is a special friend of mine. We met when we were kids playing at the beach and we have been friends ever since.  I rarely ever called Mark, Mark – it was either brother or Marcus so if I use these names for Mark as I stand here with you, please understand.  I start with the statement that “He is the only real action hero I know”.  However, Marcus is also much more than that - He is a devoted husband, a loving father, a respectful son, a leader in his church and a friend without conditions.

In life Marcus had an idol and it never changed.  It was the same at five, at fifteen, at twenty five, and at thirty five.  So appropriately, it was his father, Alex.  Alex, I can’t express in word what you meant to your son, but simply said, you are his hero.  Pam and Alex – It is difficult for sons to express their appreciation for their parents.  There was never a day that I know of that your son did not feel blessed to have such loving, giving and supportive parents.  His gratitude to you as parents I can not put into words.  You were his role model in faith, marriage, family, and life.

A little over a week ago in a distant land, in an instant, in a flash, all of our lives have changed - I thought that I would take this opportunity to give you a little bit of the Marcus that I remember so well – the boy

I have known Marcus for over 30 years – at his core four qualities never wavered: his faith, his kindness, his loyalty, and an unrelenting call for adventure. When we were 14 years old we left home to live on the mesa a place called Cate School.  Pam, please do not take offense, but dressing my brother in those cute checkered button down shirts and white wool sweaters did not meet the standards for assimilation into a boarding school that celebrated Bob Marley, U2 and the Grateful Dead. 

The beginning of Cate was difficult for Mark, it is now hard to reconcile that he was shy, awkward, and overly sensitive.  But our time at Cate was an extraordinary, magical period of time when we transformed from silly boys, tested our boundaries, spread our wings, and defined our character.  I stand here with total conviction when I say that Mark’s transformation exceeded all others.  In our freshman year threats loomed around every corner from upper classmen and almost anything we did tested a boundary or broke a rule.  We no longer had that protective vale that parents so givingly provide, so we had to band together to survive. We just didn’t survive, we thrived. It provided the perfect environment for Mark to begin to define himself, and begin to answer that unrelenting call with in him for adventure.

Imagine Mark in a small room planning his next adventure, then at night in the shadows of buildings make his way across campus to some objective.  To this day when I hear a knock on a window or a side door, I know its Mark.  At the house I live at today Mark would arrive some nights not at the front door, not at the back door, but at a small side door in our small court yard where he knew he would find me either working or watching TV.  I recall in our junior year that Mark came down the hall of our dorm around midnight in clothes soaking wet.  I asked him what happened, knowing that we would be planning our revenge on who ever had doused him.  To my surprise he said he had just taken a swim in the school pool – after a pause I asked him Why would you take the risk of going across the entire campus and swim in the pool in your clothes and then be soaking wet and cold and have to manage your way back undetected.  He answered smiling, “It had not been done.”

I can’t recall the defining moment of transformation – it was the aggregation of the bonds he built and adventures he had.  I could go on for days describing such things as his the impact of his bird like dance, discuss the spirituality of dipping, our run in with a biker gang, his adventure in Mexico, the serenity of dawn patrol, being boys of summer, and the impact of late night chats. They are all pieces of the mosaic. A reflection of this mosaic was seen in water polo pool - we all swam with vigor, Marcus just reached a little further, pulled a litter harder, and glided a little farther.

Mark began to find his identity at Cate but his growth never stopped. He continued to march forward in leaps and bounds. Wheaton, the Seals, and his Contract work are such great periods of his life, but his legacy is his partnership, devotion and love for Sarah and now their daughter Cora.  As some of you know Mark asked me to be his best man in his wedding.  The afternoon before his rehearsal dinner he asked that we take the “baptismal” swim in our home waters of Emerald Bay.  As my body was turning numb and blue in the 56 degree water Mark rattled on and on and on with such excitement about this adventure of all adventures of being one with Sarah…I remember nodding vigorously preying that he would indicate that it was time to exit the water…as fate would have it the last time that Mark and I had one of our deep talks was late at night at my house a while ago.  Some how that baptismal swim came up in our conversation and we laughed with the same freedom that we did when we were boys at Cate, then my brother leaned over to me with that great grin and said brother being with Sarah is far better than I ever dreamed.

I am going to end my comments with a short poem that I wrote last night – Mark showed me what’s good, what matters, what really counts, comes from inside so I titled this short poem -

“It comes from within”

Take the path on the left, the trail on the right or the route within the sea
His grin says it all, as long as you move forward any choice is fine with he
Go far, go deep embrace the mysteries and strip the lies
Adventure resides in distant lands, your next door neighbor, and in every child’s eyes

Ribbons and medals are for boxes and prefer the drink from the carpenter’s cup
Don’t tire in your faith just get on your knees and look up
Adventure is not defined by the rocks under your feet or the currents that pull
It’s the ability to see and embrace Gods gifts to us that makes us full

The heroics and deeds are post signs that are gladly left on the trail
It’s the joy that we see and touch in each individual that sets the sail
Walk in the light of our lord and acknowledge your sin
The light shines brightly for each of us for it comes from within

I know that I will never have another friend like Marcus

Thank you