A sad day
Posted: Sun Jul 01, 2018 5:00 pm
Early morning June 17, 2018, during a massive storm, a hillside behind my house gave way, collapsing a basement wall and trapped my sleeping 12 year old son, Thatcher, under feet of debris. I was able to dig him out with help. But all the local roads were washed out and emergency personal were unable to get to my house. We were able to get him across the Portage Canal in a locals boat, continuing cpr during this whole time. Finally the ambulance was able to meet us and the took him to the hospital where they were able to get a pulse. He was air lifted to Ann Arbor, MI, about 500 miles away and placed in U of M hospitals PICU. Sadly, he never regained consciousness, and his brain continued to swell to the point it stopped working. He was declared dead late on June 18. We have been in a state of shock since. The outpouring of support from all of my family, friends, community members and complete strangers has helped us greatly through this devastating time. The day before this tragedy, I launched my 28 express to get it ready for a trip to Isle Royale that we planned on taking my boys and nephews. Thatcher looked forward to this trip all year long. He truly loved being on the boat, with fishing being his main passion. He would spend hours upon hours a day fishing in front of our house. Hopefully time will lessen the hurt and heartbreak, and we will be able to take my other children out on the water, hoping that they might feel the same way he did on the water. We are comforted by the fact that we know he is in the arms of Jesus watching over us, waiting for the day that we can join him. God bless. Thatcher Alan Markham 2005-2018
