Marshall Grissom

Do me a favor -- go up to someone and ask them how they know Marshall Grissom.

How fast did they crack a smile?

Was their belly laugh not absolutely contagious?

Marshall was a part of my small class family at St. Agnes School. The beauty of being with the same group of 50 kids for 9 years is that you get to know each other pretty well.

Marshall was kind and always had a smile on his face. When I sprained my ankle in 8th grade and missed school, he walked over to my house to see if I was OK. That's just who he was.

I never knew he would bless me with one of the greatest gifts of my life -- his precious family. He introduced me to his wife, Brandy, and his kids, Evie (10) and Sawyer (13) as soon as we moved back to Louisville. They became my second family.

Finding Marshall as an adult was a beautiful thing -- he still had the same smile, the same heart, but now he was using it to touch so many more people around him.

He had become the most amazing cook I have ever known. There could be a pantry with nothing but some pasta and spices and the next thing you know, he had a plate in front of you that would make the Food Network swoon.

It was no wonder that passion translated into the incredibly successful restaurant, Dish on Main. His love for people emanated through his cooking, and that talent quickly ignited in his children who loved working by his side. To this day, I would much rather turn his daughter, Evie, loose in my kitchen than to hear the groans of my own children when I try to come up with dinner myself. Watching Evie and Sawyer in the kitchen is like watching a generation of prodigies carry on the gift of being able to taste and season -- with a sense most of us don't possess.

Marshall's passion for food and service brought him to his wife Brandy when he met her at Shenanigans nearly two decades ago. They lived a beautiful life of adventure and she supported him through so many hardships and struggles. Brandy is fiercely independent -- she is who I want to be when I grow up. She has learned to use power tools and fix things around the house and volunteers at St. Agnes every chance she gets. She is not one to ask for help, but in my heart, I know there are so many of us touched by the Grissoms that we want to help them in any way we can.

Marshall leaves behind two incredibly talented kids with such bright futures in art, music, theater, culinary arts, swimming, archery, scouts, and so much more. I want to create this GoFundMe to support their futures and to provide comfort during this time when their hearts are broken and finding a way to heal. Recently, Marshall's father has passed away and his mother passed about two years ago. They have experienced much loss, and yet have always been the first to want to use their time and talents to serve others. This is our time to give back to them.

While he is relieved of his burdens and now looks over his family from above, I ask that you think of the time he touched your own heart, made you smile, and know that whatever you give is helping him support their precious hearts from afar.