Mark Brandemuehl update

[mike_elliott]

mike elliott,   Hi all, I’ll be back in the Bay Area tomorrow as we’re working on Mark’s memorial service and a reception that will be a celebration of Mark. I know he would want the reception to be a joyful one. He touched a lot of people’s lives. I’ll share the details of when and where in the next couple days. We’re targeting for a Saturday very soon. It will be hard for me to come home after 5 months in Phoenix because everything will remind me of Mark. The smoker in our backyard, his Sierra Nevada Pale Ales in the fridge, his AC Cobra kit car, his pie making tools in the kitchen... I’m grateful that Mark and I had a very full and happy life together for 31 years. We enjoyed some insanely happy times we had together. We’re so proud of Wesley & Adrian - I told them that they will always carry a part of their Dad in them.

[Mooney in Oz]

This news is so devastating and not what I expected given the snippets of positive updates.

My sincere condolences.

[thinwing]

Terrible news!Hoping for closure for entire family.Peace

[Mooney217RN]

Rest in Peace Mark

 

Michael

[aaronk25]

God Bless. I’m just reading the events now and my heart sinks.
Aaron


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[Eight8Victor]

Jenny is a class act. Despite her recent loss, she took time to express gratitude for the extra time she had with Mark due to the heroic act of Thomas Hunnicutt.  Godspeed Jenny.

 

https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/widow-of-plane-crash-victim-thanks-man-who-rescued-her-husband

[carusoam]

88V,

I’m glad you were able to share that part of the story!

Best regards,

-a-

[mike_elliott]

 

mike elliott, Jenny Brandemuehl has posted a new announcement for Family & Friends of Mark Brandemuehl. Hi Everyone, My visit back to Phoenix felt good and I'm so glad I went. I wanted to go back to thank everyone at the Burn Center but I was afraid it'd make me feel really sad. When I entered the burn center and the first nurses who saw me greeted and hugged me, I felt right at home. It was a wonderful lunch - Boyd & DD Smith joined us, Thomas and Jakki came, and while AJ's mom couldn't come, she wrote me a really nice note.   Just before lunch, Dr Foster and PR arranged a press conference with local reporters and news channels for Dr Foster, Thomas Hunnicut and I. My focus was to publicly thank Thomas and the Arizona Burn Center team for the gift of 5 months with Mark. Thomas shared an important message about how sad he was to see bystanders videotaping Mark's plane crash and no one stepping forward to help. My hope is that our story inspires viewers and readers to take action when they see someone in trouble. By the way, it's a miracle Thomas' hands and arms didn't get burned.   I also got to meet for the first time, Cheryl, Donna and Pat (passenger) who were the drivers on Deer Valley Road when Mark swerved to the side to avoid hitting them. After he swerved, his plane was careening side to side and it was how the plane's right wing clipped two lampposts which caused the fuel tank burst and catch on fire. It's the part of the story in June that I hadn't really spent time thinking about because I was so focused on Mark survival and recovery.   I told Dr Peck that Mark was in a happy place in his life when his accident happened. Dr. Peck told me he was the doctor who received Mark the day he arrived at the burn center (I didn't know this as I arrived in the evening and met with a junior doctor). He believes that Mark understood the gravity of his burn injuries and was at peace about it. It was why he was glad that Mark reached me on the phone before they sedated him. That gives me comfort. I told Dr Peck that I'm waiting for sign from Mark that he's ok and he told me he believes that it will happen.   Three friends have independently told me that they've felt Mark's presence after he died. Interestingly, they each experienced it in a different way. The power of Mystikos.   My time with Cheryl, Donna and Pat reminded me that Mark was a hero. I always knew Mark would do the right thing. The photo above is of all of us meeting for the first time including Thomas and Jakki. (I'll post additional photos in the photo album of the Burn Center night nurses who joined our get together at the brewery restaurant in downtown Phoenix - they are family to me. Last but not least were my local friends Neal, Sue, Tracy and Jeff who were my on-the-ground support. A huge thank you to them all - my new Phoenix family!   P.S. Mark and I were supposed to see the Black Keys in San Francisco. Instead, Jeff Dempsey and I saw them in Phoenix and Mark's friend Marty Paul and Wesley are going to the SF show tomorrow night. Mark would've loved them live - maybe his spirit was enjoying the music with Jeff and I. I hope so.

[MikeOH]

Today I received a letter from the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission with notification that Thomas Hunnicutt was awarded the Carnegie Medal for his  extraordinary act of heroism in pulling Mark from the crash.

Very well deserved.

[aviatoreb]

8 minutes ago, MikeOH said:

Today I received a letter from the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission with notification that Thomas Hunnicutt was awarded the Carnegie Medal for his  extraordinary act of heroism in pulling Mark from the crash.

Very well deserved.

Thanks for letting us know.  DEFINITELY well deserved.

I just looked it up, 

Carnegie Hero Fund Commission: https://www.carnegiehero.org/carnegie-medal-awardees-march-2020-heroism/

and Mr Hunnicutt's citation: https://www.carnegiehero.org/thomas-h-hunnicutt/

 

(And everyone of those several cited are each and everyone are really very remarkable human beings. https://www.carnegiehero.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/2020-03-award-announcment.pdf)

Edited March 18, 2020 by aviatoreb

[mike_elliott]

Tom and his wife Jakki will be our guest of honor at this year's Mooney Summit VIII in Tampa, Oct 16th. One of our attendee's and MS'er Dan Eldridge has volunteered to pick up their lodging, while my partner in Mooney Pros, Inc. Raghav Mohindra is flying them here in his jet. 
Congrats Tom! I owe my life to a selfless person like you (thanks Bobby) and can not express my gratitude enough to those engendered so disposed as to risk their own safety to help others instead of getting a few likes with a youtube video

Tom is a very humble person who only wanted to help. I am honored to have met him, as all of us will be able to soon.

[carusoam]

Great news!

Thanks for sharing the details...

Go MSers!

The power of some people both inside and outside of the MS community is awesome!

I can still fly a plane because somebody dialed 911 for me once...  (about eight years ago...)

Best regards,

-a-