Marty Hutchins 1962 - 2007: This One's for You Marty!

On Sunday, May 6th, Rob and I ventured to witness the spectacular Valley of the Temples of Agrigento.

Meanwhile, on that same day...in our parallel island paradise of Hawaii, Marty Hutchins, at the vibrant age of 44, peacefully passed away.

I worked with this Florida native at the Hawaiian Humane Society for two years and most recently had reconnected with him during my three-month assignment at the Humane Society in winter 2007.

He was then, as I always remembered him, funny with his wry, self-deprecating sense of humor, rigorously honest, rooted in reality, and passionately devoted to his work as an animal behavior expert -- helping cats and dogs find their way in an all too human world.

I used his desk while he was on sick leave and despite his absence, his volunteers all dutifully filed in day after day to keep his program running. Their loyalty to animal behavior support was only rivaled by their loyalty to Marty. In fact, on one occasion one of his people chided me that I wasn't keeping his desk tidy to Marty's standards.

Marty was very curious about our life in Italy. The night I left Honolulu, I left a bottle of Sicilian olive oil on his desk. He had very much wanted to experience a taste of Italy.

He never did get to enjoy that Sicilian olive oil or find his way to Italy....so my Agrigento travel log is for you Marty!

These temples that I walked through on the day you died will always remind me of you and how fleeting our time on this beautiful planet is. And while life is so very delicate, the legacy of a compassionate and joyful life well-lived does last forever in so many hearts.

I have never been more committed to making every day a dream come true. Thank you Marty!