…and so Anna hijacked my Marc’s Musings this week (in the nicest way)…so here it is!
“Anna’s Musings”
Marc Eskritt has been recognized as the Blenheim & District Chamber of Commerce’s Citizen of the Year. In honor of tomorrow’s Awards Ceremony I have decided to hijack Marc’s Musings to write a Musing about Marc. As I was thinking of what to write I felt overwhelmed with how I would squeeze in all of the things that make Marc so great, but found reassurance in the fact that anyone who has met him will understand there is so much more to say.
Let me introduce myself, my name is Anna and I am Marc’s daughter in law and employee. I have had the pleasure of seeing the different roles Marc plays over the last ten years, and can say with confidence that all are done with a high degree of care and compassion. First I met Marc the family man, which is without doubt his favorite role. Marc would move heaven and earth to make his family’s life better, and always makes sure his family knows how much they are loved. Although there is no official awards ceremony, I know he wins husband, dad and papa of the year, every year. The man who will drive half a day just to spend a little extra time with his baby girl before she goes back to school. And if he can’t make the trek to his kids quickly enough? Well then he will call the local drug store to have them round up a care package and have a taxi deliver it to their door.
Their support in turn allows him to be Marc the Funeral Director, which is a multifaceted role. Marc the business man and boss is hands down the best boss I have ever had, which is easy to see when you enter the funeral home and see the smiling faces working there. He makes people want to do a good job without having to ask by creating a warm and welcoming environment. Being the sole owner of the business also means he has to work hard to make sure everything is taken care of and all things run smoothly. I am regularly astounded by all the things he manages to get done each day, all the details he remembers and the seemingly endless compassion he has for each family. Helping the families he serves is what he loves about being a funeral director and he holds true to his promise to treat every family as he would want his own family treated. Each funeral is special and I know families feel his respect and genuinely kind heart by the countless calls and cards I see streaming in on a weekly basis.
These families inspire Marc the community member and friend. There is never a lack of people who want to chat with Marc just to spend time with him. He has a way of helping people before they have even had a chance to ask him. With everything else he has going on, he always manages to come through when people need him because this is a great community filled with wonderful people. This reliability often means countless 20 hour days and coming in to work on two hours of sleep to make sure everyone else is taken care of, yet he never complains, and never looks for recognition. He does it all for his family, for the families he serves and for the community that supports him. I know tomorrow will be hard for modest Marc who would prefer to sit back and see the joy on peoples faces then be the center of attention receiving recognition for all he does. I am happy that I had this opportunity to share what I believe everyone who knows Marc already knows. He does not just turn this on for show, he is a shining example of what it means to be a good person each and every day!
