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In Memory of Marko
Luzajic
Our Beloved
1974-2005
There are some sorrows that will never fade away. Why Marko was
given to me and to our tribe as a gift, and taken away scarcely
five years later, is a mystery. In the time that we were married,
I was forever changed. Marko was the most loving, positive light
and he gave me strength, inspiration and support through every endeavor.
He loved life and most of all loved people, and he gave himself
unconditionally to those who cared for him.
Marko at a wedding, in healthy times.
Marko saw more of heaven and hell in his 31 years than most will
see in a lifetime. Born in Belgrade, Serbia, he experienced difficult
politics and war. He traveled the world by boat and saw much of
Europe, Africa, North and South America. He was a lobster fisherman,
a sailor, and his heart was with the sea. He helped bring the rave
scene and music to Eastern Europe. He was a champion rock climber
and a boxer. Many of his employers described Marko as the hardest
worker they had ever known. He had friends all over the world, but
chose to make Canada his home for the last five years of his life.
 Just
after we were married in 2001.
Marko believed there were no borders that could keep him, and saw
his body as a sailor and his mind as an astronaut. He believed in
the exploration of the earth and of space. He was at work on a plan
to travel from Northern Ontario to Buenos Aires without passport
to prove his philosophy that all humans share this planet without
artificial boundaries of history and war.
Marko was happiest on the water.
Although Marko was absolutely the strongest, healthiest and most
sane human being I have ever known, his mind was weakened in eight
months by the devil’s poison, crystal methamphetamine. He
managed to free himself of this demon but the damage was done to
his body and mind. He still saw spies, police, and termites everywhere.
His body never healed and this world lost our beloved soldier in
August 2005.
 Marko
as lobster fisherman in the North Atlantic.
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Marko never lied or hid anything from his friends or even strangers,
and he would abhor the secrecy that often follows tragedies. He
was not afraid of truth and believed no one could find help if
we hid behind false silence. He was honest about his problems
to his family and hid nothing from us. He wanted his friends to
be healthy and to find their dreams.
My painting The Astronaut’s Wife is filled with themes in
memory of Marko. The ships are symbolic of his life at sea, and
the space ship represents the frontiers of the mind that he challenged.
The Tarot symbolism of Il Matto reflects Marko’s travels
and the faith he had to travel the world without fear. The Tower
represents danger and the falling apart of everything. The torn
page from the DSM 4 is about the sickness of addiction. The words
of friends and family plead We tried to tell you and Please don’t
die.
The Astronaut’s Wife: Meth is Death,
Please Believe Me
(click for larger image)
Marko’s special ceremony was held at Cherry Beach, Toronto,
and mourners spilled salt into the lake to bring him to the sea.
Marko’s father-in-law, Robert Thiessen led a beautiful,
unconventional ceremony. While there were hundreds of people
playing at the beach that day, you could still hear us singing
Amazing Grace. We turned Marko over to God there beside the lake
in the sunniest day you could imagine with boats going by.
I made this for Mom and Dad after we were married, instead
of framing a picture of us posing at Sears or something.
In the aftermath of this tragic outcome, some of Marko’s
friends who also suffered from addictions or other problems have
sought help and found the road to health.
I am thankful to anyone who would like to make a donation in
Marko’s
name to addiction help or research. Please contact me at creativityvault@hotmail.com
with your intention.
Marko, we will never stop missing you.
Marko loved life and was always smiling.
Marko and I, happy as always.
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