12/21/2011
Hello Friends,
I have some sad news to report to you this afternoon.
Faye Manders has succumbed to cancer and passed on Tuesday morning at 3AM.
As many of you know, on September 8 Faye had a seizure. It turned out that she had a brain tumor. They did surgery to remove the tumor, but the cancer was also in her Colan, liver and small intestines. They tried hard with radiation, then chemotherapy, but there was nothing that could stop it. The cancer had spread throughout her body.... The decision was made to hospice at home.
Faye's loving husband, Buddy, has been by her side 24/7. She took a turn for the worst on Friday. Faye has a 32 year old daughter, Lyndsey and a six year old grandson.
On Monday morning , Gina and I visited Faye. When I saw her, I told her that everyone was thinking of her and that we all care so much for her. I took a picture with me when I visited Faye. It is a picture of me and 14 of my Black Belts that were training at the time, around 1990. I took the picture because I wanted to give her just a moment to her take her mind back in time. A time that was very special to her. To let her see the faces of people that were so important to her then. As you know, relationships that can only be forged in the environment of a martial arts school. But her relationships in Martial Arts was not limited to those she trained with her in class. She met and came to know so many other people in the Martial Arts through tournament competitions. Some of those people are in other states. Each year she would look forward to seeing those same people again and again. We all had a special connection with Faye through our common interest in Taekwondo.
It broke my heart to see Faye in her condition, I was reminded and realized how important she was in my life. Taekwondo has been much of who I am and my life has been fuller because of it. I have had the opportunity to know so many great people and develop so many great relationships. I am thankful, that through Taekwondo, I knew Faye.
Faye came to me in 1986, already a Black Belt. She came to me because she knew I was serious about Taekwondo, just as she was. She wanted to train hard. She was small in stature, but large in spirit. She was as steady a students as I ever had. She was a fixture in the school. She loved to help others learn Taekwondo as much as she did doing Taekwondo. As time went by she became an Instructor at the school. Faye lives in the most northern part of Alpharetta. For 20 years Faye drove over 30 miles in each direction to train and teach. In 2006, she decided it was time to stop coming to the school. Her daughter had given her a grandson and as much as she loved Taekwondo, we were just going to have to learn to be come second....But even then Faye was willing to give us her time and talent. She was always there to help us at tournaments. Before there was the AAU, during the AAU and now with AOMA. Faye's last tournament as an Official was the AOMA nationals in July of this year.
Faye was always someone that I could count on. She was always there for me. I will always hold Faye in my heart as someone that I was fortunate to know. Faye reminds me that I am also fortunate to know you as well. During this week as we hustle and bustle to prepare for Christmas I will keep Faye on my mind. Faye never complained. Faye was as steady and dependable as the morning sun.
Thank you for allowing me to share with you my thoughts about Faye. I know you have your own thoughts about Faye. Enjoy those good thoughts and memories you have of Faye. I know that she had good thoughts and memories of you.
It is my understanding that on Wednesday and Thursday evening there will be services for Faye at the Hopewell Baptist church in north Alpharetta. The funeral service for Faye will be on Friday. As I get more information and addresses, I will pass it on.
During this Christmas season, I want to Thank you for sharing experiences in the martial arts with me. Life is a journey. We all have lots of roads and trails we take. I have enjoyed my travels and am glad that I crossed paths with you. I am more inspired today than yesterday to make sure that each day is not wasted. Work hard, play hard, love each other....
A message that I know Faye would give to us all :
Hope for a Christmas, and a new year, filled with happiness for you and your family.
Merry Christmas.
