Boards will be down this Wednesday

[WebmasterMaryJo]

Hey everyone,

For those who may have missed the announcement at the top of the board, Alex posted that the boards will be down for an hour on Wednesday.

Back when the DIS was a much smaller board and there were fewer people posting, the mods would get together in Orlando at Pete's house (the owner), and so a lot of us were friends in real life, in addition to being friends virtually. Marsha, or Maahsha (she was from Boston) and I became mods about the same time in 2000, and we also became friends. A month after her husband lost his battle of five years with pancreatic cancer she found out she had cancer. This was another shock for her, and for us who were her friends.

Sadly, she lost her battle with cancer on Friday. Since she was a personal friend to those who run the DIS, the boards will go quiet during her funeral on Wednesday.

Marsha Coughlin "Mackey Mouse" was a moderator on the disboards and a great friend to us all for many years. She passed away recently after a long and brave fight with cancer. We are going to bring the boards down and put up a tribute page on Wednesday from 11am to noon during her funeral
__________________
Alex

 

[Susie63]

A lovely tribute for your friend.My condolences to you all

 

[tinkermomma]

I'm so sorry to hear this and I agree it's a nice tribute. My thoughts will be with all of you on Wednesday.

 

[AngelDisney]

My deepest condolences to her family and friends!

 

[GrandBob]

My deepest condolences to the DIS family for the loss of one of your family. I agree, it's a lovely tribute.

-Bob

 

[Girimama33]

So sorry to hear this ~

 

[jetskigrl]

Many thoughts and prayers going out to her family and friends!!

 

[zeferjen]

What a wonderful tribute. Thank you for sharing. My thoughts are with her friends and family.

 

[kayleigh83]

My condolences to her friends and family That's a really lovely tribute.

 

[Pesky]

My deepest sympathies for her family and friends. I think the boards down is a nice tribute.

 

[kindakrazy2]

I'm so sorry to hear this. Taking the boards down is a lovely tribute to her. Thank you for doing that.

 

[ValpoCory]

Prayers for Marsha Coughlin. A nice tribute. I'm very sorry for he and her friends and family.

 

[blackjackdelta]

A very nice tribute to you and the boards friend.

Jack

 

[CourtFool]

May Marsha live on in the hearts of her family and friends. People come and go in our lives every day, but those special people leave a lasting impact that can not be erased.

 

[DizFan13]

What a beautiful gesture.

 

[pixiewings71]

I'm so sorry

Shutting the boards down will be a nice way to recognize her loss. (((HUG)))

 

[Domchi002]

Thanks for sharing.
What a wonderful way to honor someone special.
My condolences.

 

[KateDrake]

How sad! I hope her family knows all the DISers are sending love and prayers their way. What a nice way to honor her memory.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

Thank you, everyone. Marsha was a very special lady, and she was there for me when my own father was dying of pancreatic cancer. I'm just so sad right now.

I just wanted to share a tribute that fellow former mod, CarolAnnC (or CAC, as we used to call her) put on the Community Board:

I felt that we needed a separate thread to honor and remember our dear friend Marsha aka Mackey Mouse, though I know there has been a discussion on the DIS Old Timers thread about her and also over on Coping and Compassion.

Here are my thoughts:

I first met Marsha here on the DIS the summer of 2000. We were both fans of a brand new show "Survivor" and shared our delight of Disney and Survivor in the DIS Chat Room.

That September when my DH passed suddenly, there was Marsha driving up to New Hampshire to visit at his wake to comfort me. We had never met in person, but that began a long friendship outside of the internet.

Two months later she and Tommy were with me and my girls on a week long Carribbean cruise. She brought me back to life from the depths of despair. But that is the kind of woman Marsha was. She knew how to "Go for the Gusto" as she would always tell me to do. We bonded as we were "city girls" both raised in the Boston area.

We continued to attend local DIS meets together, go shopping, have lunch, even spend Christmas Eve together one year at her home with her lovely daughters and her Tommy. She was caring, compassionate, yet fun loving, down to earth and "told it like it is". At one point we discovered through our long talks that Tommy was actually a second cousin of my mom's. That really made us feel like our friendship was "meant to be" even more.

We also planned trips together to WDW where we would spend time at our jointly beloved passion - anything Disney. One year we were "snowed in" as the Northeast was hit with a blizzard and we were stuck with cancelled flights. We were ecstatic as we had more days at WDW! When she was able to get flights back to Logan which had opened up, but I was not as NH was still closed, she helped me get onto her flight to Boston and Tommy and she drove me and my girls all the way up to Manchester NH in the aftermath of the storm to my car at the airport there. They would not hear of me trying to rent a car myself to do it, or make other plans. They were both there for me no questions asked.

The memories go on and on, but I wanted to share just a sample here with you all. Marsha's legacy will spread far and wide - from her "Disney" friends to the many folks she befriended duriing Tommy's and her own cancer battles. Her touch was felt not only around the country, but around the world.

I learned many life lessons from Marsha and I will always remember her, though another piece of my heart broke off and died with her July 13, 2012.

 

[teachU2]

I saw the tribute page this morning and it was lovely. This may sound cheesy, but just by looking at her pictures, I could tell what a wonderful delightful woman she was. It is so difficult losing someone you love. Condolences and prayers for her friends and family.