I got email from my mom today. Apparently, some former colleagues of my dad’s planted a tree and staked a plaque at the tree in memory of my dad. The site was a golf course where he’d organized a bunch of golf outings for the organization. The email included this forwarded message from a former colleague of my dad’s:

“John, Bert and Amy Coghill from Silver Lake Country Club have planted a tree as a memorial to Marty. Kop-Flex and AIST have placed a plaque at the base of the tree to commemorate Marty’s long career with Kop-Flex and his dedication to the AIST organization. The tree is a Red Horse Chestnut and is located on the number 1 hole on the south course about half way down the left hand side of the fairway. We as a group felt that since Marty has planned so many wonderful golf outings for us over the years that he should have a place to watch over the outing for many years to come. The Coghill family welcomes you and your family to come and see the tree and plaque anytime you wish.”

My mom was clearly very moved, and I am, too. It was a lovely thing to do. But wow, seeing his name and dates of birth and death on the photo of the plaque really stung me.

Marty O’Neill memorial at Silver Lake Country Club in Maryland

One thought on “Marty O’Neill memorial at Silver Lake Country Club in Maryland

  • August 2, 2006 at 9:20 am
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    Thanks for sharing the email and plaque, Kate. It’s a lovely thing those folks did. I guess golf is yet another thing our Dads had in common. When a Jewish person visits a grave, traditionally they leave a small stone but at my Dad’s grave there are tons of golf balls (makes his plot easy to find!).

    My Dad died eleven years ago on Monday and this is the first time that day sort of snuck up on me. I’ll always miss him but really he’s not completely gone from my life as my thoughts of him daily keep him close. Should you ever need to talk Dads, you know where I live!

    Sheila

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