Remembering Great-Uncle Markus Thatcher

They say April showers bring May flowers. You may argue the phrase symbolizes the beginning and end of seasons, that it represents a stance on life and death as a beginning and an end. In fact, the story of Hades and Persephone, and the departure of the two, begins in spring. With the countless retellings of their story, one would have to believe that the two greatly love each other, and the separation for Persephone to return to the mortal realm, felt like death to them as well. I would agree that the change of seasons is a real representation of life and death, a beginning, and an end. Spring solstice of last year was a new beginning for me and an end for someone I loved, my great-uncle, Markus Thatcher.

I could sit here writing and sharing with you all the things my great-uncle taught me or the stories of “the good old days”. I would rather like to tell a story about my great-uncle which very few know. A story he told me the day I proposed to my wife Lane. A story that helped me see how lucky I am to have her in my life.

First, let me give you an idea of who my great-uncle was. He was born and raised just before World War II. When he turned 18, he eagerly joined the Navy. I remember his anchor and eagle tattoo on his right forearm had fascinated me as a child. When I finally had the courage to ask him about it, he simply told me never to get one of my own; that they never aged well. After his four years in the Navy, he used the GI bill to pay his way through an undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering and continued his academic journey as a professor until his 73rd birthday, when he officially retired. Markus was also the type to tell you a joke, today most would be considered a dad joke, and then in a blink of an eye he would be hauling the neighbor kid out of his yard by the ear, giving him a stern talking to about respect.

This story starts in 1957, the start of my great-uncle’s sophomore year of his undergraduate degree. He had decided to visit his friend James one evening before the semester formally started, and in doing so, met the woman of his dreams. James had said to him, “Hey, there are three girls who live across the street. I met one earlier today. She was outgoing and exceptionally flirtatious. I’d like to introduce you. Maybe if you find yourself liking one, we could go on a double date, see where it takes us.” So, my great-uncle followed James over to the house and he was introduced to the three women: Mag, the flirtatious one, Jennifer, the roommate, and Kayla, Mag’s shy sister, the woman of his dreams.

Before he’d continued the story, he’d shown me a picture of Kayla that he kept in his wallet. It was obvious from the wear and tear of the picture that he had taken it out of his wallet several times to hold her in his hands. I can’t tell you the color of hair she had, or what color her eyes were because the photo was in black and white, but what I can tell you is how kind and pure her eyes had been in the photo. It was the same kindness and purity I saw and still see in my wife. I can understand why my great-uncle was so entranced by Kayla.

I was never told if they went on that double date or not. When I had asked him about it, he simply laughed and told me how Kayla had spent most of the semester avoiding him. Despite this, he would sit across the street and wait to wave to her daily. From time to time, she would acknowledge his good mornings and good evenings, and at the end of the semester, Kayla left to live with her brother in South Dakota. Markus spent the rest of his sophomore year wondering how she was doing and the what if’s. He finally decided towards the end of the academic year, he would spend the summer looking for her. 

Eventually, he found Kayla and they spent an evening out together. It started with visiting the local malt shops where he let Kayla pick whatever she wanted, which turned out to be a three-scoop waffle cone dipped in chocolate and coated in sprinkles. The evening ended with laughter and competition when Kayla challenged Markus to bowl. She teased that she would leave if he went easy on her and still Markus lost, apparently Kayla had spent some of her free time perfecting her straight shot. It was the greatest night of Markus’ life, and while he already knew she was the one, I think he assumed this was the night she realized it herself. But shortly after their evening out, she disappeared. My great-uncle was again full of what if’s. Then to his surprise, while working in Nebraska between junior and senior year, he received a letter from Kayla. She was still living with her brother in South Dakota and wanted to see him. He vowed this time was going to be different. He left his job and rushed to see her, taking with him a gold heart locket necklace. She gladly accepted his gift and they started going steady.

Unfortunately, she was not able to move in with him when he started his senior year. She had to move back in with her parents, for reason which were not explained to me. But the distance did not stop them from being together. Around Thanksgiving, he made the decision to propose to Kayla at her parents’ house. He told me, “She had no objections.” The following summer, after his graduation, they were to marry and move in together, but… it was not meant to be.

The new year brought with it temperatures below zero, patches of black ice formed on the streets. During a girl’s night out, one of those patches of ice caused a vehicle to spin out, sliding off the road, diving into a nearby lake. It was dark and late, no one had been around to see it except a lonely old woman taking her dog for a walk. It took several hours after that woman’s phone call to the police, but when the car was pulled from the water, they knew there would be no survivors.

Markus Thatcher, my great-uncle, never found another love like that, he never married. To him, Kayla was the one, and one day he would get to be with her again. Now, after this year's spring solstice, my dearly beloved, great-uncle, you are once again reunited with the woman you’ve always loved.