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Thread: A friend and fellow Optiboarder has passed

  1. #1
    Master OptiBoarder
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    A friend and fellow Optiboarder has passed

    With great shock, and sadness, I come this evening to announce the passing of a fellow Optiboarder.

    Mark Morris, aka DragonlensmanWV, has lost his brief but courageous battle with cancer.

    Mark was a pillar of our Optiboard community. He was a master at his craft and was more than eager to share his wisdom and extend a helping hand whenever possible. His contributions to Optiboard were many. He was always eager to lend his experience, share his knowledge, offer to do a difficult job, and provide a camaraderie that many of us will miss greatly.

    I have had the honor to know Mark personally and have dined, joked, and laughed with him on several occasion. I truly enjoyed his company. He helped me on many occasions and was always eager to do it again! He was a full fledged member of this community and gave us his all. We will all be better for his contributions. They will be missed.

    Mark and his family appreciated the support that we showed during these trying times.

    I think that it would be appropriate to write a few words, if you are moved to do so, here. I will be sure that his family checks in to see how much he was loved here and how much that he will be missed.

    I feel honored to have known Mark. I am a better optician because of him. I am lucky to have such a person in my life to call friend. I will miss him.
    Last edited by Fezz; 04-12-2012 at 09:29 PM.

  2. #2
    Master OptiBoarder
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    Mark will be sorely missed. May God bless him and his family during this difficult time.

    Warren

  3. #3
    OptiBoard Apprentice
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    Although i have not been on this forum long, i did enjoy reading his posts and he will be missed. I have lost family to cancer, so i can understand the pain his family is going through. My thoughts go out to you.
    Jonathan

  4. #4
    ABOM Wes's Avatar
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    I, too, am a better optician because of Mark. He will be missed.
    Wesley S. Scott, MBA, MIS, ABOM, NCLE-AC, LDO - SC & GA

    “As our circle of knowledge expands, so does the circumference of darkness surrounding it.” -Albert Einstein

  5. #5
    ABO-AC, NCLE-AC, LDO-NV bob_f_aboc's Avatar
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    I count myself lucky to have been able to meet Mark and share in his knowledge. Mark and his family will remain in our thoughts and prayers.
    A lack of planning on your part DOES NOT constitute an emergency on mine!

  6. #6
    What's up? drk's Avatar
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    That guy really understood high minus. A gem of an optician and a super-nice guy.

  7. #7
    Master OptiBoarder
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    I guess I was one of the lucky ones also to actually have met Mark, and his wife. As Fezz said, Mark also helped me out on a couple of occasions, as I needed a real craftsman to do the work, and I knew no one better.

    Our industry has lost one of the best.

    Mark

  8. #8
    Master OptiBoarder OptiBoard Silver Supporter Barry Santini's Avatar
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    Yes, one of our very best! An artist in rimless!

    Barry

  9. #9
    Optimentor Diane's Avatar
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    I am so sorry to have lost a fellow optiboarder/optician. He will be missed.

    Diane
    Anything worth doing is worth doing well.

  10. #10
    ATO Member HarryChiling's Avatar
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    Mark had the voice of a kitten but the heart of a lion. If anyone is interested in some light reading about who this guy was check out:

    http://www.ecpmag.com/1webmagazine/2...gift-sight.asp

    A poster on this board mentioned a sad case of a young girl who was acting out because she couldn't see. Mark jumped into action without even being asked. He was able to get multiple people from multiple states to come together and provide this young girl with much needed vision. Now we are not talking about apair of stock poly lenses these were designed for the young lady to look cosmetically appealing and provide good vision.

    That was the type of person I knew Mark to be, generous and loving. I pulled out the pair of specs he gave me in NC a few years back when he heard I had redone and older vintage pair of glasses. I found a note with his handwriting on it, just a simple "Hary", but it made me smile.

    I remember a member on this board that needed some older glasses done that were very difficult, Barry even had a piece of equipment that would make the process easier, Barry mailed the equipment to Mark and Mark not only made one setof lenses bua fewshapes to choose from and postedpictures and how to on this forum so that he could share a little bit of his skill with the world.

    Another thing that comes to mind is the way he used to flip a lensblank around and grind into the front curve using it as the back curve, pure genious.

    I'm gonna miss you Mark, save a seat at the big table for me you've definately earned your spot.

  11. #11
    Ophthalmic Optician
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    If you've never met Mark, Fezz and Harry's posts really sum him up. He was a big guy (size 14 shoe), but if you weren't standing right next to him, you'd miss what he was saying. He was one of the most talented and generous people I have ever met.

    He will be missed by many.
    Ophthalmic Optician, Society to Advance Opticianry

  12. #12
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    Rest in Peace.

    I feared logging in to read this news. I never met him, but we bonded with our views and his talents; who knew such a big footed guy- I am only a 13-was so talented with his hands and mind!
    I have a card he recently sent me telling me that he will stop in when in Florida; I will cherish the card and fondly wait to meet him in person. Everytime I send or see a chocolate covered strawberry it will remind me of him and put a smile on my face. I remember the time he got the girl glasses that no one else could do and will use it as inspiration to give back more to the optical community.

    Thinking of you and your family.
    Love
    Craig Chasnov

  13. #13
    Rochester Optical WFruit's Avatar
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    I never had the privledge to meet Mark personally, but we did correspond on several occasions here. I wish I could write more, but I just don't have words adequate to express my sorrow at his passing.

    ~William Fruit
    There are rules. Knowing those are easy. There are exceptions to the rules. Knowing those are easy. Knowing when to use them is slightly less easy. There are exceptions to the exceptions. Knowing those is a little more tricky, and know when to use those is even more so. Our industry is FULL of all of the above.

  14. #14
    OptiBoard Apprentice Ejmaxie's Avatar
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    My condolences to his family and I will miss his insight

  15. #15
    Master OptiBoarder OptiBoard Gold Supporter Judy Canty's Avatar
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    The next un-Expo will not be the same without Mark.

  16. #16
    Bad address email on file ldyflsh's Avatar
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    Never had the pleasure of meeting Mark personally. I only knew him through the forum and enjoyed learning from his experiences. Peace to you Mark, you have earned your place in heaven. Prayers for the family and friends. May your good memories see you though this very difficult time.

  17. #17
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    WOW. My condolences to his family and those here that knew him both virtually and in the flesh. As I get older and watch my kids grow I try not to think about the end and live every day like it's my last and given what he must have been battling through, kudos to him for doing what seems to be just that, living each day to the fullest and with passion.

    I didn't know him at all other than the banters here, but I can say he opened my eyes (pun intended) with the posts he contributed to and the knowledge he shared with others.

    Again, all the best to those that loved him.

  18. #18
    Master OptiBoarder NCspecs's Avatar
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    Oh no! I hate to hear this. I always enjoyed his posts here on Optiboard. I knew he must be a heck of an Optician and a great guy based soley on what I witnessed here on the forum. I can only hope to leave the same sort of legacy when I depart.

    My heart goes out to his family. It's never easy to say good-bye.
    "Strictly speaking, there are no enlightened beings; only enlightened activity." -Shunryu Suzuki

  19. #19
    Master OptiBoarder OptiBoard Silver Supporter rdcoach5's Avatar
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    Why do the good die young ? They must need a good optician in heaven.

  20. #20
    Forever Liz's Dad Steve Machol's Avatar
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    Mark was truly one of the best people OptiBoard was lucky enough to have as member and an asset to the industry. He will be sorely missed and my heart goes out to his wife and family.


    OptiBoard Administrator
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    OptiBoard has been proudly serving the Eyecare Community since 1995.

  21. #21
    Master OptiBoarder TLG's Avatar
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    Mark, you were one of my favorites. Thank you.

  22. #22
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    We here at Valley Vision, where he was our manager, will sorely miss Mark also. He has contributed much to our business and our work family. Rest in peace, Mark.

  23. #23
    Master OptiBoarder
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    I can add little except to note that some very admirable people thought the world of this man. I have always admired men strong enough to be gentle, generous enough to go out of their way to help. We don't have enough of those.

  24. #24
    Master OptiBoarder OptiBoard Silver Supporter Now I See's Avatar
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    My heart aches for our loss.

    I had the pleasure of meeting Mark and his wife...what a terrific couple! While we were at Un-Expo I remember us getting a kick out of the fact that he was the only one who could quiet our group during the weekend, he was so soft-spoken, and when he talked we all wanted to hear what he had to say, so a hush would come over the crowd. He brought a box of "goodies" to each Un-Expo, I still have the antique frame he gave me and the funny pictures of the cats...they have been hanging in the lab since we got back from that trip...they always make us smile!

    To Mark's friends and family, please know that you are all in my thoughts and prayers, my hope is that time will heal all pain and sadness that you are feeling right now. Mark was a good man and we were all blessed to have him in our lives.

  25. #25
    Doh! braheem24's Avatar
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    I'm really bothered by this, I was talking to him just days ago and he was apologizing for being late on a favor he was doing for me because of all the pain and now he's not with us.

    RIP Mark, you will be missed.

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