It has been a long time coming. 

Rumours that Marcel was seriously ill were touted for some time.  Somehow I never believed that this would happen and that Marcel will pass away and not even get to his 70. 

Marcel and his life-time companion Adelina were indeed one perfect couple because their imperfections made sense, because they complemented each other, because they were two pieces of the same jigsaw puzzle.  A lovely couple, always fresh, constantly loving, permanently tender with each other notwithstanding they had their arguments. The love they had for one another oozed from their eyes. 

Marcel’s funeral on Valentine’s day will probably break Adeline’s heart even more because they were indeed a feast of love, they represented what couples should be about; commitment, assurance endurance, gentleness and promise.  The immense passion they had for each other, their dedication towards their family, their saintliness and disposition to others was second to none. 

What a loss.

Marcel was a born leader of the quiet type.  He could get emotional and angry that’s true, but only for the cause he believed in – other than that he was as cool as a cucumber.  Marcel was a simple man in so many ways.  He loved sports and was passionate about Valletta FC and Chelsea FC which he went to see regularly.  I must say he was a bit of a sore loser and would hardly ever admit that these two teams had a bad day when the result doesn’t come their way. 

He would also try to emulate (failing drastically!) these football stars with a five-a-side game every week he would organise and play in.  He would be playing football and struggle to get a shot on goal, but once again being the bad loser he was it was the wind, a foul, the shape of the ball, the floodlight, his aching knee, his problems at work - but never did it dawn on him that a football career was never a go-go for him! He was also president of a basketball team, another sports he enjoyed wholeheartedly.  

What a lovely character.

Marcel was deeply spiritual.  He believed in God, respected the cult, loved the Church and was a man of God.  His dedication to all that was good was deeply informed by the Church and wanted his life to be a living example.  He renounced his own personal career to start an agency, Agenzija SAPPORT, that has since then had immense impact on a number of people and is now the main service provider in the disability field.  He wouldn’t just manage but he was keen on making a difference. 

I got to know Marcel from this context that really and truly was the ‘love’ of his life, ‘disability issues’.  Marcel was dedicated immensely to this sector.  He was the president for a long time of the National Parents Society for Persons with Disability.  He worked tirelessly for this sector, was one of the founding ‘fathers’ of Dar il-Kaptan where I worked for almost six years.  I was also closely affianced with the NGO that Marcel led and was often involved in the activities of this organisation, whether it was committee meetings or week-end breaks, sessions with siblings or preparing press releases. 

It is here that I know most of my love for the disability sector.

It is here that I realised the injustice that this segment of the population was going through. 

It was Marcel who instilled in me this passion to make things right and contribute to this sector. 

What a special man he was.

Marcel was not perfect.  He had his shortcomings.  He might not have been as assertive as I felt he should have been at times and maybe he needed to be more organised and more decisive at certain points.  But the ‘beauty’ of Marcel was exactly that.  He wanted those around him to see his imperfections.  He wanted those around him to keep in mind that he was human that he had his short comings.  That is why he was a team player and wanted people around him that he could bounce his ideas with.  Marcel in this sense was perfectly honest and knew when he needed to consult. 

What a humble man.

But, and that is why I am leaving it for the end, one of the heartbreaks that he never seemed to recuperate from was the passing away of his eldest son Andrew.  If there is anything good in Marcel’s moving on is that he can now be with his beloved Andrew.  He loved him with such intensity that I don’t know of many others like him.  Marcel missed Andrew every single day and his consolation was in his other boys Matthew and Paul.  Marcel loved the company of his family, treasured the successful and challenging moments they went through, supported his children to the hilt and would do everything possible to see them happy. 

Marcel lives in the memory of so many of us.  The projects he was involved in are monuments of the dedication he had to the sector.  He has won the respect of so many people like no other and notwithstanding the disagreements that he might have had no one goes away from meeting Marcel with  a grudge.

Marcel you live in us. 

The sector owes you big time.  You were at the forefront of every initiative that involved persons with disability these last 40 years or so.  You have managed to leave an indelible mark on us all. 

Until we meet, may you rest in peace my friend, mentor and inspiration..