It is with heavy heart I write one last time. Mark passed this morning. His suffering has ended and he is no longer in pain. He went to be with our Lord and Saviour. He was surrounded by family and he went in peace. Thanks to all of you who followed Mark's battle. He was one tough warrior and fought hard to the end. We got to say our goodbyes this morning. Hospice came out. Julia was here with the hospice chaplain and they were great. Father Bill came over and prayed with us and spent quite a bit of time here.
After Mark was gone from the house, I went into the bedroom to shower and it really hit me that he was gone. The bed was made and he wasn't in it. It was just not right seeing the bed without Mark there. He's really gone.
The funeral will be at St. Michaels Catholic Church at their NEW location on North College St. It will be Friday morning at 10am. We will be having visitation at Jeffcoat Trant funeral home on Thursday night from 6-8pm. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Mark Bertus Scholarship Fund at any Auburn Bank location or mail to PO Drawer 3110 Auburn, AL 36831-3110.
If anyone is coming from out of town, the Holiday Inn Express will offer a special rate if you give them Mark's name. The address is 1801 Capp Landing Opelika, AL 36804. Ph (334) 749-5250.
I will post if anything changes or as we know more. Thanks to all of you who have supported us through this battle. Hold tight to those you love today and always. Please continue to pray for those battling cancer. May God bless and keep you all!!!!!
Ronda
50 comments:
I am so sorry. Thinking of you all.
I am so sorry for your loss,....I will keep you all in my prayers.
God bless all of you. You have ALL fought the good fight. Have learned so much from your cancer battle about family,love,courage and more.
Will keep you in our prayers. Emily's words keep coming to me about Mark having no pain in heaven. TRULY a happy thought for us because he has been in far more pain than we know. Are here if you need ANYTHING! The Golsons
I am sorry for your loss but thankful for your faith and the knowledge that Mark is no longer in pain.
So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory." - 1 Cor 15:26
Ronda and family,
Our thoughts and prayers are with you all. We are so sorry for your loss, but we all know that Mark is not in any pain and is rejoicing in the presence of God. We will be thinking of you, and may you find comfort in these times.
My heart and prayers go out to you and the kids. Mark earned his Angel wings today. What a warrior he has been and now he is no longer pain!
Your faith is amazing and will continue to be your foundation as you mourn his loss! May God Carry you and bring you through this as well!
On my knees.
i am so sorry for your tremendous loss. i am happy though that this courageous man is now pain free and smiling down upon his family.blessings to you all.
I am so very sorry. God Bless Mark, you, and
your family.
Junior Feild
Oh, I am so very sorry!!! It is so very sad. I know that your family is heartbroken!!
Please accept my heartfelt sympathy. I will be praying for your family.
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. There is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day." 2 Timothy 4:7-8
Love ya!!
C.O.L.E.'s Foundation
(Caring Openly, Loving Eternally)
www.colesfoundation.com
Email: sandy@colesfoundation.com
24/7 Prayer Line 888-365-COLE (2653)
Sandy Daron
I am so very sorry for your loss.
Kathy
Ronda
My prayers are with you and your family. I know you must have such mixed emotions right now.
I know the pain of losing Mark is great and yet to know he is not suffering any more is a relief.
I wish I could come to the funeral with bad weather coming into okla on Thurs it will be hard.
I will pray for your strength to see you through this week and carry you to the future.
God bless you and your family.
Thoughts and prayers for you and for your precious family. I am grateful that Mark no longer suffers yet so very sad and sorry for your loss. I pray that Gods presence is able to be felt by your family and that He is able to bring you comfort and peace. Kathi
God Bless you and the children Ronda. We will pray for Mark. You have been so brave and strong through all of this, I pray that God will help you keep this strength throughout the coming days and months as you and your family heal.
Mary Rainey
St Michaels
Dear Rhonda,
The world is a lesser place today. Thank you for keeping us updated on Mark's condition through the years.
I left OU before Mark joined the finance program. But, through interactions at various FMA conferences, Sandy and I found Mark to be friendly, intelligent, quick witted, and full of spirit. We will miss his company.
Sincerely,
Gary & Sandy Caton
Oh Ronda, I'm so sorry! It is a blessing that Mark is no longer suffering but I know it is SO painful for you and your family! I encourage you to lean HEAVILY on your friends and family in the coming days, weeks, months...
And know that MANY of us will still be praying for your entire family!
Atresa Farmer and family
Ronda,
Thank you for writing this most difficult post. We are so sorry. Our hearts go out to you, the kids, and your and Mark's families.
The Caudills
It's very very sad. May your strength to go through this difficult time stay intact.
Dr. Bertus will always be remembered for his goodness.
This hurts and is extremely painful, he redefined the way finance was taught at Auburn. Best professor I could every imagine. I am sure every student of him will remember him for lifetime.
Hi, I'm from Bartlesville and knew Mark in high school. He and Matt were great guys. I hope you have many happy memories to sustain you through this time. Many are thinking of you and your family.
Take care,
Maria Swindell Gus
Rest in peace Mark.. and I will pray for you and your family.. am so sorry for your loss.. if there is anyhting I can be of serivce to you please let me know..
We are so sorry. Mark definitely fought a good fight. He is now in God's hands and knows no more pain. May God bless you and give you strength! The Plans
I'm from Bartlesville and knew Mark and Matt from high school. I have been so touched by your journey and your strength. May it carry you through this next chapter. You all will continue to be in my prayers - just have been.
Much Love and Many Prayers...
Wendy McCue
I am so sorry to hear this news! I have been trying to stay updated by reading your posts since this all began. I was a student of Mark's in 2005 and kept in contact with him until my graduation in May 2007. He was such a great professor and person. He helped write several recommendation letters for me as well. Overall, he had a huge positive impact on my life, career, and time at Auburn. I have a brother (age 27) currently battling cancer for the third time. It never gets easier and I know what your family has had to go through. Again I am so sorry and my thoughts and prayers are with your family!
I am so sorry. I prayed so hard for things to turn out different. But God is faithful and loving, this I know. He has a bigger plan and you will see Mark again one day in His kingdom. You all are in our thoughts and prayers.
God bless you all. You all will be in my prayers as you have been.
jay
It is sad to hear this. You all fight hard for life. God will hear all the prayers.
May the God of peace bring comfort to each one of you during this time of loss. May the Lord shine His light upon you in this time of darkness. May the God of Everlasting life bring you hope for the days to come. May the Lord bring glory to Himself through this circumstance. As a family we will continue to pray for each of you.
the Nichols family,
Ben, Sydney & Hope
My heart goes out to you and your family. I am so sorry for your loss.
~Sarah~
God bless you and everyone close to Mr. Bertus. I was one of the lucky few to be taught by Mr. Bertus this past summer and will never forget the best professor a student could have had. He wouldn't let us call him doctor, he let us know that the first class meeting. He was an amazing inspiration, also. He came to class everyday throughout his battle with cancer, sometimes with his medication hooked into him, and gave everything he could give to teach us his knowledge of Finance. He truly loved his family, he talked about you all everyday in class, honestly. God will bring you all together again one day...and i'm sure he'll be teaching Finance and as goofy as ever in Heaven. I thank you so much for keeping us all updated with Mr. Bertus and my family sends all of our love and prayers.
Praying for the Bertus family today. I was in Mark's MBA class in the fall of 2006. Psalm 23:1-6
We are all with you in this. Mark will for ever live in our memory. He's now with the Lord, in peace and without pain. God bless.
I'm so sorry for your loss. I will be keeping your family in my thoughts and prayers. You guys are from my hometown...
I was friends with Mark during high school. I am so sorry for your loss. My prayers are with you and your family at this difficult time.
Jennifer Gartner Morrissey
I'm so thankful to have known Mark. He was a special man and a special teacher and he loved you and the children so much. His students loved his classes because of his gift for teaching.
My prayer is for your family to be blessed with the strength you need now. You will have many wonderful memories to remember and cherish always. God Bless you all.
Joye Hughes
It mixed emotions for everyone who knew Mark. On the one hand, we grieve for you and miss him. On the other, those of us who believe as you do know that he's gone not to some vague "better place" but to the BEST of places.
I was recently watching the third and final film of the Lord of the Rings trilogy (The Return of the King). In one of my favorite scenes, all the defenders of the city are hopelessly outnumbered, and it looks like all will be killed.
The hobbit named Pippin is very afraid, and he turns to Gandalf the wizard and says, “I didn’t think it would end this way.”
Gandalf replies, “End? No, the journey doesn’t end here. Death is just another path . . . one that we all must take. The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all turns to silver glass . . . and then you see it.”
Gandalf seems to gaze at something off in the distance, so Pippin asks, “What? Gandalf? See what?”
Gandalf says, “White shores . . . and beyond. The far green country under a swift sunrise.”
The hint of a smile appears on Pippin’s face and he says, “Well, that isn’t so bad.”
Gandalf returns the smile and says, “No . . . no, it isn’t.”
I think of Mark like that, and I can't help but smile. He's no in that fair country - a land with no more pain, no more suffering, and no more limitations - nothing but Joy.
Even so, Death is the enemy. But not for him - he's gone through it.
The pain is for those who are we're left behind - but only for a while. It'll be hard in the next few months, but it does get easier with time. And best of all, y'all WILL be reunited soon enough. And after that, you'll have an eternity together.
We continue to lift you up in prayer for the days to come.
It mixed emotions for everyone who knew Mark. On the one hand, we grieve for you and miss him. On the other, those of us who believe as you do know that he's gone not to some vague "better place" but to the BEST of places.
I was recently watching the third and final film of the Lord of the Rings trilogy (The Return of the King). In one of my favorite scenes, all the defenders of the city are hopelessly outnumbered, and it looks like all will be killed.
The hobbit named Pippin is very afraid, and he turns to Gandalf the wizard and says, “I didn’t think it would end this way.”
Gandalf replies, “End? No, the journey doesn’t end here. Death is just another path . . . one that we all must take. The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all turns to silver glass . . . and then you see it.”
Gandalf seems to gaze at something off in the distance, so Pippin asks, “What? Gandalf? See what?”
Gandalf says, “White shores . . . and beyond. The far green country under a swift sunrise.”
The hint of a smile appears on Pippin’s face and he says, “Well, that isn’t so bad.”
Gandalf returns the smile and says, “No . . . no, it isn’t.”
I think of Mark like that, and I can't help but smile. He's no in that fair country - a land with no more pain, no more suffering, and no more limitations - nothing but Joy.
Even so, Death is the enemy. But not for him - he's gone through it.
The pain is for those who are we're left behind - but only for a while. It'll be hard in the next few months, but it does get easier with time. And best of all, y'all WILL be reunited soon enough. And after that, you'll have an eternity together.
We continue to lift you up in prayer for the days to come.
I'm sorry for your loss. I thank you so much for keeping us all updated with Dr. Bertus. I was in his class in 2004. Mark was a great teacher and he will always be remembered that way.
I am so sorry for you loss. I am from Bartlesville and went to school with Mark and Matt. Mark will be missed. My prayers are with you and your family. J.J.
Sending love and prayers from TN.
God Bless,
Mandy Ford
Southeast Regional Rep~COLE's Foundation
www.colesfoundation.org
www.kidsunitetofight.org
www.facebook.com/colesfoundation
Mandy@colesfoundation.org
Sending love and prayers from TN.
God Bless,
Mandy Ford
Southeast Regional Rep~COLE's Foundation
www.colesfoundation.org
www.kidsunitetofight.org
www.facebook.com/colesfoundation
Mandy@colesfoundation.org
Hi Ronda.
I'm one of Mark's cousins from Louisiana and have been following your blog for a while now. I'm so sorry to hear that Mark has passed but we all know that he is in a much better place and are glad he isn't suffering any more. I'm going to try to make it to the services with Aunt Barbara and Uncle Bill (Aunt Kathleen and Uncle Brent will know who I am) but am unsure if I can get off of work. Either way, please know that you and your family are in my thoughts and prayers as you have been for the last couple of years.
All of my love,
Ashley
I’m sorry for your loss but glad Mark is no longer in pain.
What an inspiration and example you and Mark have been to many of us with your love, courage, and faithfulness over the last 2+ years. You may not know how many people you have touched with your blog postings. As one of Mark’s other former professors commented the other day, Mark probably had a wider circle of close friends than anyone I know. For the last few years, friends and former professors of Mark here at OU have rarely met without someone asking: “Have you read Ronda’s latest posting on Mark.” Mark touched a lot of people when he was at OU and you have with your accounts of the battle the two of you waged together against his disease. Just as the world would be a better place if more of us had Mark’s optimism, dedication to teaching, and genuine concern for others, it would be a better place, if more of us had your courage and faithfulness.
With both sorrow and admiration,
Louis Ederington
Finance Division
University of Oklahoma
Ms. Ronda,
I am truly sorry for your loss, you and your family are in my heart and prayers. Know that God will see you through these difficult times. God bless you and may he wrap you tightly under his wings.
Kenya Harris
Hi. I knew Mark & Matt in high school. May God give you and your family all peace in your hearts. This just sucks.
Libby Lesch-First and family
I admire your courage and strength as a wife and mother. My prayers are for you and your sweet babies.
Kim Johnson
I am so sorry for your loss. It is one that is felt by many students as well. I had Professor Bertus for Personal Finance summer of 2006. He left a lasting impression on me because of his humor. I throughly enjoyed the class and am so saddened to hear about his cancer battle. I would love to make a donation to the scholarship to honor him. May God Bless you and your family.
May God Bless Mark and his family. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
I went to school in B'ville with Mark.
Holly Moss
I hope you all are doing okay---I know today was VERY hard. I am so sorry we could not be there....but, I thought about you all day.
We love you and are praying for you.
Kathy Mitchell
Ronda, may God bless you, comfort you, and give you peace--you and your whole family. We have been praying for Mark and all of you, and we'll continue. Please know that we and many others hold you in our hearts.
Carol and Wallace Whatley
St. Michael's parishioners
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