To Max-
My bubby, my fishing buddy, my hunting partner, my little brother, my big brother, my best friend.
For the most
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I don’t have you right now but I sure do have a lot of great memories like the day you, me, Dave and Grandpa Loren caught 224 walleyes together. Days like those I will never forget and days like those are what will keep me going.
Three days ago we were getting a list together of all the tackle we needed for this summer. We said we were going to catch so many fish it was going to be a record year. Well, I know I can’t have that record year without you Maxie, but I’m sure going to try.
You made work so much fun, Marv. I don’t know many people I can belly laugh with at 8:00 AM mopping floors at Izzys. I don’t know who can make me laugh at 8:00 AM in general. But I do know that I couldn’t have asked for a better brother.
Bottom line, you’re fun to be around Max and I think everyone in this room can agree.
I can’t wait to see you again Max, we’re going to catch that muskie you’ve been trying to get me on for the last four years.
I love you to Kenora and back, in the rain.
You will always be my best bubby.
I love you so much, Lisa
Max’s Story (Lisa Marvin)
I feel like trying to tell my brother’s story in a few short paragraphs is tough, almost impossible. For one, it would be hard to express all of his qualities, the experiences we had together and just the kind-hearted guy that he was. Two, there is a part of him that nobody knew about.
Max is the kind of guy that you wanted to be around because it was rare to catch him in a bad mood. I honestly can’t remember a time that he was mad at me, If I did something he didn’t like he would just give me a look and shake his head. He was pretty easy going; growing up with two older sisters could’ve played a part in that. He was the kind of guy that would go fishing with 80-year olds and learn all the tricks, take a 4-year old out to catch their very first fish and everything in between. He’d go skating with the older guys and then bring a little kid to the rink to teach them how to skate. He’d spend months getting ready for hunting season and let the 14-year-old girl he brought hunting shoot the biggest deer he’d ever had a chance at. He was a very likeable guy with a lot of friends.
Max played hockey his whole life, just like most of us do in Warroad. He was good at it, too. He worked hard, enjoyed going to the rink, and made his teammate’s laugh. He was the kind of guy you want on your team. In the fall he would hunt deer, geese, bear, whatever he could. He liked to learn about it all. He played baseball and ice fished but it was no secret that fishing on Lake of the Woods made his eyes light up a little more. In the fall of 2018 he bought his own boat. That summer he was a guide on Lake of the Woods. I remember thinking my little brother wasn’t so little anymore. I also remember thinking that now I wouldn’t be able to fish with him as much as I wanted, so selfishly it was a bittersweet moment for me. Being a guide came natural to him having fished with my dad his whole life and just the people person that he was. Pretty typical for a boy in northern Minnesota to play hockey, hunt and fish but he wasn’t a typical 19-year old in my eyes. One of the coolest parts about my little brother to me is that he really took care of my sister and I. He doubled as our big brother, shoveling our cars out of the snow before school, taking us fishing, letting boys know when to get lost and just being a rock for us in some of our hardest times…the list goes on.
He treated everyone around him with respect. I was able to watch my little brother as he turned into a handsome adult with so many people that caring about him because of the way he treated others.
Max was my brother, but he was way more than that to me. He was one of my best buddies (or bubby as we called each other). I always thought of my brother as a simple guy but I see now that things weren’t so simple for him.
I see now that what things look like on the outside can be a lot different then what’s going on inside. I can understand this on a personal level now. Going about my days trying to make the most of them even though I hurt everyday missing him. After talking with my family and Max’s friends it was clear that nobody knew how bad he was hurting, he shocked us all. We all wish that there was something we could have done or helped him with.
Our goal with the Max Foundation is to help, to let people know that it’s okay to talk about your mental health just like it is okay to talk about your physical health.