Thanks to all who have messaged me direct. I've had over 50, which is testament to Mark. I usually only ever get messages complaining about stuff but they're all nice ones regarding Mark - I'll reply to all asap. I've spent the day gardening, sulking and trying to ignore the news. Mark was genuinely such a lovely gent. A common comment has been he was the best of us, and it's very true. When you run a site like this it can be pretty lonely at times, 90% of the time you're dealing with problems and being a miserable arse who can't have any favouritism but he was one of very few who could immediately cut through that. I recall calling him in the hour after hearing about Nikki and almost embarrassingly, the call become him settling me, rather than the other way. "Dan, it's ok. It'll be ok". The fella had just lost his partner and was telling me it would be ok. The measure of the man.
Although Mark was a massive part of the site and we all want to mark his passing, it's of course important to be mindful to respect family wishes. Marks nephew will come back to me regarding donations in his memory, and inclusion in official Everton programme etc.
I believe the charity with be one which supported Marks autistic son. So please get ready to dig deep to support in Marks memory.
Sorry I've had to share such crap news. This thread is by some distance the crappest one I've ever had to start. Thanks to everyone who has replied - I'm sure they're of comfort to his family. I can only hope to have even 10% of the messages Mark has had once I check out. What a gent.
