When I first saw Mark Hill I was in eighth grade. We were at Park Jr. High and in choir. I was medium height and skinny and very shy. I saw this small guy, who kind of looked like me, blonde hair and glasses making a pretty girl laugh instead of getting ready to sing. I remember thinking, “god, it would be great to have his confidence, and then, how in the heck does he do it?”

Through our over twenty years of friendship I have always felt this way about Willie Hill.

In eighth grade another little kid accidentally chopped willies pointing finger off.

If it bothered Mark, he never showed it and used to jab me on the temple with his self proclaimed “nub”, as if he was screaming to the world, “I lost a finger, F YOU! Who cares?”

That’s Willie.

When the neighborhood teens got together for a game of touch football Mark showed up in shoulder pads, and the Miami Dolphins Jersey and Helmet. He wore them proudly for the opening kick off and then casually took them off and played his little guts out for the next spirited 3 hours.

Willie!

That’s what Jerry Scanlan screamed when he discovered the Ben Gay in his jock strap before practice. Everyone knew the culprit.

Willie.

In College, to throw off his opponents in a 24 hour game of Risk, Mark Hill sat patiently, and in thoughtful consideration of his next globally effective strategic move…completely in the nude.

My dad got Willie a job at Amours meat packing house in South Saint Paul to help him with college. Willie always took any job offered and never complained, even if I had a better job. He was a tireless worker at Amours and at law school where he passed the bar and became a practicing attorney. He married Candy, his childhood sweetheart and had a bunch of beautiful kids. Mark gave advice to newly wed hopefuls through his church.

Mark Hill was a good friend, and grew to be a good man.

It is sad he committed suicide but even here when Willie felt that all hope was lost (and here I will always feel hopeless and sad over what I could or should of done to help Willie in his sorrow and didn’t and couldn’t) he still made sure his family was financially taken care of.

I miss you Mark. I love you Willie.

No matter what you think Mark-YOU ARE A GOOD PERSON and forever loved.