Memorial bench for Mark Brush

Mark died five years ago this spring. It’s hard to believe it’s been so long and it also feels like he was here just yesterday. We miss him every day. Some days it’s a sad miss with a hole in your heart and some days it’s a happy miss where you just feel his presence.

Mark loved walking in Black Pond Woods.

It was the place he went often to seek peace. He found that being in nature was where he could catch his breath, take in all the beautiful seasons, and just be in the moment (with whatever he was feeling in that moment).

We walk there to enjoy the beautiful woods, the sound of the spring peepers, the leaves crunching underfoot, or the quiet of the snow-covered woods. We also walk there to remember Mark. We thought it would be nice to be able to stop and pause at a Mark memorial bench to appreciate the beauty and appreciate Mark’s place in our lives.

We approached the Ann Arbor Parks Department about the idea and they gave us six locations in Black Pond Woods for a Mark memorial bench. Mark’s daughter Cecelia and mom Sally looked at each of the six locations and liked the one overlooking Black Pond the best.

Mark’s family is raising money to buy the bench, if you’d like to contribute.

If you knew Mark, his mom Sally asks you to write a word or a brief phrase about him in the comments. The hope is to use some of those words as part of this remembrance of Mark.