2024 Life Logs, Day 255: Tribute to Mark
Date: Wednesday, September 11, 2024
Weather: Mostly Sunny Day; High Temp 71, Low 54 degrees F
Location: At Home on Lakeview, Falmouth, MA
Mark Daniel Handley died eight years ago tonight. He was only 74 years old, but he had lived a good 74 years. Every September 11, I go out to dinner, somewhere near the water, with Heather and family as a tribute to Mark. All five grandchildren visited with him on his last day. They were all young, but they do have memories that I hope they will carry with them throughout their lifetimes. Mark loved his children and grandchildren, his proudest accomplishments in life. He also loved taking little power naps every afternoon. I have photos of him napping with each grandchild and those five photos are some of my favorites, with Sam, with Ziggy, with Jonah, with Ollie, and with Coco.
His other love was New Hampshire Public Radio. The development of public radio in New Hampshire from a small station in Concord (WEVO) to a statewide network was his proudest career accomplishment. He also served as the Chair of National Public Radio simultaneously during the last few years of his career, but his real love was always NHPR.
Mark and I had a wonderful forty-three years together and I miss having him by my side. But he is always with me in spirit. Tonight’s dinner was at The Flying Bridge on Falmouth Harbor. That is where we had our first tribute dinner in 2017. My, my, how those boys have changed!
