The worst day of my life was the day my Uncle Mark was killed. Even today I can act out the day as if it were yesterday. I still remember my last words: “Uncle Mark, I'm going to kick your ass this winter. Your arctic cat sucks. Snowmobiles were our thing, I always had a Polaris, but he went and bought an Arctic Cat, so I liked to bug him about it. It was Sunday 11 November 2012; my mother woke me up around 9:30. He said to me, “Your Uncle Mark disappeared on the plane.” Being in a family of pilots I didn't worry. It happened many times with my uncle, as well as with my grandfather and father. I got out of bed, went to take a shower, did my hair and makeup, then went downstairs to get something to eat. My grandmother had come because it is always better for us to be together so we are all informed at the same time. That day my dad had to take one plane and my uncle the other. My dad said he had my uncle take off first because he had the slowest plane, when he took off everything seemed fine, so my dad took off. Once my dad got into the air and started to stabilize, he thought it was strange that he still couldn't see my uncle. My father tried calling him on the radio, but there was no answer. I remember I was in the refrigerator taking out leftovers to eat when the phone rang. My mother picked up the phone; he was my father. I remember her across the kitchen saying, “No Brad, no, it can't be, there's no way!” as he began to cry. My grandmother and I looked at each other, knowing exactly what my father had said to my mother, we burst into tears. I fell to the ground crying, I no longer had feeling in my legs, I was traumatized, I was terrified, I was heartbroken. I couldn't believe what I had just heard. Derek Bartlett was... in the center of the paper area... and in the hallway. Walking along that island I was rolling my eyes. I have never cried, ever, in front of people, even though I had never felt so hurt before. The only person I made eye contact with was Jessie McAuley. I couldn't tell you anyone else who was there because my mind wasn't on who was there, but on who wasn't there. I cried throughout the ceremony. If I looked at my cousins ​​I would cry even harder. My sister and mother cried at some points, while my father and I just couldn't stop. I really liked Gerard and ??? I talked about memories of my uncle and when Robin and Rylee played a song in his memory. After the funeral we went to the waiting room and hugged many people who were there. It was overwhelming to see so many people. I think the funeral changed my feelings a lot. It was the conclusion; I'm starting to open my eyes to the fact that he's gone.