Ben's Words at Marshall's Funeral

When I first heard the news, I couldn’t believe it. It is hard to imagine a world without such an amazing friend by my side, much less to accept it as reality.

It's kind of funny, but my best memory of him is the only time we ever fought. It was in paintball and he had a new gun which seemed to just fire all the time. He had tagged me, but didn’t hear me call myself out, so he just kept shooting. Well, I got pretty mad and we ended up about four feet away from each other still shooting, and in a lot of pain. I still have scars from that. But I think it showed how strong our friendship was, because we always looked back on that and laughed.

Although I mourn his absence, I now understand the true nature of heaven and its eternal joy, for in the face of death, one thought shines through: the face of Marshall within heaven’s gates, welcoming me at last to my home.

- Ben Lopez, November 29, 2006