Marx Family,

        Having known Frank over the past four years, I can truly say that I am a better person.  He was the best roommate anyone could have asked for.  He was always there for me or any of his housemates, and I hope he knows that we were always there for him as well.  In talking with Frank, I got to learn so much about him and his family.  The stories he told me always came from his heart.  He loved everyone, but most of all he loved you, his family.  I am truly going to miss him, but I know he will always be looking over us all.  My prayers are with him.

Sincerely,
Colin W. Torrance

Dear Marx Family,

        I want to thank you for raising the most wonderful person I have come to know.  Frank was one of my best friends and I will cherish the four years I knew him forever.  I know Frank is safe in the Kingdom of Heaven and he will be waiting for all of us when we arrive there also.  I know I will take aspects of Frank's life and implement them into my own so his greatness will live on forever.  May God be with you at this time and always.

Sincerely,
Michael Theile

Dear Marx Family,

        Frank was a good man.  Although I only knew him distantly, I envied him in every way.  Whatever I could do, he could do better.  He has the respect of the whole Fairfield community as I'm sure he does back home.  The world REALLY lost out when it lost Frank Marx.  Wherever he is now, I'm certain he is spreading the same love and joy that he did here.  We all now have a perfect guardian angel, and Frank will be in our hearts always.

Sincerely,
Chris Viagrande '04

Dear Marx Family,

        Frank was truly an amazing person.  I have never known such a gentleman with a heart always thinking of others.  I am a better person for knowing him, for being his teammate, and for being lucky enough to be his friend.  Know that you and your family are in my thoughts and prayers and I will miss him forever.  Know also that Frank made Fairfield and the world a better place and he will never be forgotten.

With Love,
Liz Strain

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Marx,

        It's difficult to know what to say or write and I can't help but think that if Frank was here he would know the perfect things to say to put everyone at ease and to comfort us.  I loved your son so much and thank God that He allowed us to have the time I did with him.  Your son said to me on Friday night at the Mansion that he wouldn't trade that night for the world and neither could I.  He was the most perfect person that I ever met.  He made and will continue to make me want to be the better person he saw in me.  My prayers are with you and your family.  He will be in my heart forever.

Love,
Joe Fomenko

Mr. and Mrs. Marx and Family,

        I cannot put into words what your son meant to me, my friends, and my team.  He was truly an extraordinary person.  I had the pleasure of being Frank's teammate and friend for four years, and cherished every moment.  I have said this before but prior to beginning rowing in November of 2000, I had wanted to transfer from Fairfield.  That winter, because of crew and the friendship I had made with Frank, I decided to stay.  I know we all meant a lot to Frank, and he means just as much to us.  My prayers and those of my family are with you.  Your son will always hold a place in my heart as well as all the class of 2004's.

Love Always,
Andrea Bazos

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Marx, Patrick, Katelyn, and Lauren,

        Words cannot express my heartfelt sympathy for Frank's death.  Frank was my best friend for the past four years at Fairfield.  I can remember the day I met him with Chris Stephen in October.  From that point on, I knew that Frank was an extraordinary person.  Words cannot capture the person that Frank was.  He was a genuine, unique, determined, and loyal individual.  I have become a better person for having known him and my life has been made all the richer.  He touched everyone he met positively.  He always made sure to say hello and smile to everyone, even in passing.  I knew I could always depend on him no matter what.  Whenever I needed something, Frank was there.  No request was too small or too large.  I can especially remember when Frank took me to the hospital and stayed until 3 a.m.  (He had crew at 5 a.m.)  He didn't even get sick of my daily phone calls to Bristol!  Frank always had good advice and helped me through a lot of difficult times.  I will never forget Frankie.  He will always hold a special place in my heart.  I will always cherish our friendship.  Everyone who knew Frankie was truly blessed.  I know that I will still keep in touch with you all.

Love and Prayers,
Allison Michal

Dear Maureen, Frank, Lauren, Katelyn, and Patrick,

        I cannot convey to you how much I thought of Frank.  He was one of my best friends, and I know he was truly one of a kind.  He was a gift from God to all of us.  I never got the chance to tell him how much I thought of him and that I loved him, but I'm sure that he knew.  I am thankful for all of the memories that I have with Frank over the past three years.  I know that Frank is now safe and in Heaven.  Mike Theile said some comforting words the other night at mass.  He said, "If you knew Frank, you know he's up there right now talking with all of the apostles, saints, and Jesus, getting to know his way around."  I think that is very true and it helps me to know that he is up there.  To know that now we all have another guardian angel that will be there for us.  Frank was a person that I could only wish my son will one day turn out to be just like.  I don't know another person that I respect more than Frank.  I hope you all know just how much we all loved Frank here at Fairfield.  Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to know him, I am truly thankful for that.  My thoughts and prayers are with you all.  Take care and God bless you all.

Love,
Jeffrey Dunn '05 (Friend, Rower, Eucharistic Minister)

To all the Marx Family,

        It was a privilege for me to know Frank all through his four years at Fairfield.  I knew him as a young man of great faith, hope, integrity, and care for others.  As a Eucharistic Minister, he was ever-faithful to his responsibilities and his God and a standard-bearer for what it meant to be good and faithful.  He was respected by all, and made everyone feel that they had his total attention, that he was totally listening, that what they had to say mattered to him.  Always respectful.  Always kind.  Always well-mannered.  A role model for his generation.

Love and Prayers,
Carolyn Rusiackas
Campus Ministry

Dear Frank, Maureen, Lauren, Katelyn, and Patrick,

        I wanted to take this opportunity to leave a message for you, and also for my beloved cousin, Frankie.  I was unable to leave a note behind in Frankie's book while I was visiting due to an abundance of wonderful friends and family all wanting to share their thoughts and memories on paper.  I was so pleased to see that, but I did not want to go without the addition of my cherished memories of my great cousin.

        I do not even know where to begin.  To lost such a magnificent man, son, brother, cousin, and friend has been most tragic to all.  I share in your grief and want to assure you that from the testimonies of friends and family, Frankie had touched so many souls in his short twenty-one years than most men in an entire lifetime.

        From the beginning, I knew Frankie was going to be a special young man.  He was smart, funny, and always full of energy as a boy.  I remember the times we would spend countless hours in the pool with him, both Don Jr. and I competing for his attention.  Looking back at those times confirms just how special Frankie was.  Even at a young age, he had a magnetism about him, and for my brother and I to try to win his attention at such an early age proves that he was going to have that magnetism throughout his life.

        At a young age, I remember the countless trips to Ocean City, Dan-Dan and Poppies house, and many other family treasures where I had opportunities to watch and marvel at the growing up of Frankie from his teenage to young adult years.  The most astounding thing was when I saw Frankie after a few years had passed by, and to see what a handsome young man he had grown into.  I remember watching him grow and grow and finally tower over me, which was a great thing to witness.  Frankie not only had the great looks of a distinguished Marx, but also was intelligent and very athletic.  He was everything to so many, and that reflects in each and every soul he touched.

        I also remember seeing him five years ago at our wedding and watching him smile and dance on the floor at our reception.  That was just heart-warming to see what a kind, poised, well-mannered man Frankie had grown to be.  All of which is a testimony to you Maureen and Frank, and the great care, love, and "heart" you put into the raising of your son.  Every time I came in contact with Frankie, it was as if we had never been apart.  He was always so welcoming and made everyone feel so comfortable.

        The service for Frankie was most touching, and for myself I walked away inspired by the stories his friends shared with me and my family about Frankie's actions to do more for others and to serve others with "heart."  I take this inspiration and will carry it with me through my life as a tribute to Frankie's cause and to better the lives of others.

        I do have regrets, and one is that I had not taken the opportunity to get to know Frankie better in the short time we shared together.  However, listening to his classmates, teammates, friends, and of course Anna, share their stories and light up as they describe him and the things Frankie had done to touch each of their lives was very impactful to me.

        At these times, family and friends are so important and you realize just how fragile life is.  Every moment, every breath, every touch, every word, and every kiss mean just a little bit more now having known Frankie and will and should not be taken for granted from this point forward.  This world is a sadder place without Frankie, but through his words and his previous actions, the world can begin to find "heart" and be inspired by one man's love for life.

        You are in my thoughts and prayers, and please call on me if I can do anything for you.

Love,
Adam

To the Marx Family:

        I know that many words of comfort have been offered to you during this time of loss and heartbreak, I know I have offered words of my own to each of you, but I want you to know the depth and feeling that accompany these words.  I fear these comments won't come out quite right, so forgive me if they do not, but know that they are given with only the strongest and deepest love in mind.

        Frankie was an amazing person, you know this, but being the oldest cousin, very few people realized that I looked up to him and was amazed by the intelligent, sincere, motivated, loving person he was.  The incident that took Frankie's life was indeed tragic and, although I can never experience what you've experienced, I was overwhelmed with feelings of loss, sadness, and anger.  I have spent the days following the loss attempting to reconcile, in my mind, the idea of life and the inevitable event of death.  My conclusion has not been simple, nor has it been complete; in fact, how can one reconcile something that isn't fully understood?  The one firm thing I have gleaned through my thoughts is the fact that because of a wonderful family, a mother and father who have loved him dearly and taught him to be an amazing man, his sisters for whom he would have given his whole heart, and his little brother whom he would have done anything in the world for, he is in a place now that will reflect each and every good deed he did in his short life.  Frankie did not get the chance to fulfill many of his aspirations, but the lives he touched will forever be better.  His influences on family, friends, and schoolmates will never be forgotten.  I also know that Frankie is in the best of company right now with Frank McGinty and others that have gone before him and I feel that, deep in my heart, I know we will see him again.

        In many senses I yearn to help lift the burden of this loss from your shoulders, to take each of you in my arms and tell you that things will return to normal and life will be as it was; but we know that is not the case.  Life changes each day, bringing new happiness and new sadness and a continually evolving path we must walk through in this life.  I think we must walk this path with our heads up, looking towards the horizon, looking for the good in the world, the happiness that remains, and the love and memories that will never fade.  I know that it is not, and never will be, that simple; but I do hope, with all of my soul, that we will keep the memories of the brightness Frankie added to this world, the love we have for each other, and that simple fact none of us are alone at the forefront of our minds as we strive to live the best lives we can.

        I hope that I can live my life the way Frankie lived his, with love, compassion, determination, and thoughtfulness.  I want you each to know how much I love you and how much it has meant to me to be here at this time.  This is coming from a 20-something graduate student from Wyoming, but if you ever need anything, I would hope you would call me, any of you.  I hope you understand my sincerity and devotion to this family, be it McGinty or Marx, it makes no difference, I love you all with my whole heart.  Frank and Maureen, you have raised an amazingly strong, faithful family and I only hope that I can follow in your image when my life leads me in that direction.

I love you with all my heart,
Christopher McGinty
May 22, 2004

Frank,

        Just a quick note I thought you'd want to know today.  Teddy had an assignment to deliver a speech today in his rhetoric class.  It is to be a eulogy.  It could be on any person, living or dead, that the student chooses to eulogize.  Teddy chose Frankie.  In preparation, I gave him a copy of Frankie's Fairfield speech to read.  Once again, I know prayer comes through and God is watching over both our boys, influencing them in ways known only to Him.  And by the way, Teddy still wears Frankie's armband every day.  Just wanted you to know.  I am saying a prayer right now for him that he does well with the eulogy today.

Love always to you, Maureen, and everyone,
Jack Henschel