Obituary - Philadelphia Inquirer

http://www.philly.com/philly/obituaries/20091222_Mark_G__Garis__72__longtime_educator.html

Obituary - Brethren in Christ Church website

Here is another obituary posted on the Brethren in Christ denomination's website with more information about Mark's church involvements:

http://www.bic-church.org/news/churchwide/09_12_18_mark_garis.asp

Obituary - newspaper link

Here is a link to Mark's obituary in the local newspaper:

www.thereporteronline.com/articles/2009/12/19/obituaries/doc4b2c119cf3cf1678364277.txt

(Not sure if this will come up as a link to click or whether you'll need to copy and paste it)

They also posted it as a news item:

www.thereporteronline.com/articles/2009/12/19/news/doc4b2ce11b749b3470319520.txt

Funeral Plans

We have now finalized plans for the funeral and viewing ...

There will be a viewing on Monday evening, December 21, 5:00-8:00 pm at Williams-Bergey-Koffel Funeral Home, 667 Harleysville Pike, Franconia, PA.

There will also be a viewing on Tuesday, December 22, 11:00-12:30, prior to the funeral at 1:00 pm, both at Zion Mennonite Church, 149 East Cherry Lane
Souderton, PA. Following the funeral, there will be a time of light refreshments in the fellowhip hall with an opportunity for people to share memories and stories about Mark.

Interment will be private at the Silverdale Brethren in Christ Church.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to:

* Philadelphia Mennonite High School, 860 N. 24th St., Philadelphia, PA 19130
* Messiah College, 1 College Ave., Grantham, PA 17027, for the Mark and Nancy Garis Endowed Scholarship

Peaceful Homegoing

This morning at 5:45, Mark passed away peacefully. While we are sad to see him leave us, we rejoice that he has now entered into his eternal reward and is with his Savior in heaven.

For the past two days, Mark's breathing was labored. Last night Kris and I sensed that we should stay with him, so we took turns in shifts to sit with him and hold his hand. At around 5:10 this morning, Kris prayed that Mark would go quickly and peacefully and that he would be able to breathe comfortably. Immediately after she prayed, his breathing slowed to a normal rate. It then continued to slow down, and she woke me at 5:30. We sat with him, holding his hands and telling him that we loved him. He then very clearly said, "Love you" two times and stopped breathing.

We are so thankful for God's goodness and mercy in allowing Mark to have comfort and peace in his passing. We thank you all so much for your prayers for Mark and for our family during these days.

Jeff, Kris and I are working on plans for the funeral and will meet with the funeral home later this morning. We expect to post the arrangements later in the day.

Nearing the End

Mark's disease continues to take a toll on his body. He is now in his bed all of the time. Each day brings further decline. He developed a yeast infection in his mouth ("thrush") for which we swab his tongue and mouth. Kris and I are learning new nursing skills and he had been encouraging us when we made mistakes in turning him over in bed,etc. It is going better now, thanks to help from the Hospice Aides. Today Mark is unable to talk or whisper, but we usually know by his face what his needs are. This morning he drew his hand up to his head, meaning that he had a pain in his head. The nurse told us to give him some morphine. He opens his eyes slightly, but is generally asleep. We know that he hears us . . . he can squeeze our hands. When we ask him, he usually indicates that he is confortable. We don't know how long his body can go on, but we do know that it is slowly shutting down. We continue to pray for God's mercy to give him a peaceful goodbye.

Managing Changes

This week Mark's appetite decreased a lot. His swallowing ability became problematic. We were given instruction in how to feed him. Then three days ago Mark was coughing for a period of time after eaing his thickened juice and pudding. He had a short episode of unresponsiveness before resuming his normal alertness. We had a Hospice nurse come to check him. The nurses have told us that his disease is progressing. So at this point he is only able to take a minimal amount of thickened liquids. He has no pain and knows what we talk about. He cannot speak very well, just a very soft whisper. That takes a lot of energy for him. He is content and enjoyable to be with. He continues to be loving and appreciative.

More Aids and Aides for Mark's Care

You may be wondering why I haven't updated this Blog. We have been very busy with Mark's care, since Kris arrived home (a good but long journey for her). We transitioned to Hospice Care recently and continue to have Community Home Service Aides also. Our mornings tend to be quite intensive. After his morning concludes with breakfast and bathing,etc., Mark takes a long sleep in his recliner. Moving him from chair to wheelchair, table or bed has gotten more comfortable with a Hoyer Lift. Although it looks monstrous & takes up a lot of space, it enables us to mechanically lift him. There is less stress on his body and it's easier for us too. Mark remains very pleasant and positive. He sleeps a lot more and is weaker in body and voice. We do use a medication for him in the evening to relax him at bedtime. His faith is strong and contagious. In turn, friends and family's prayers have been an encouragement to us!