Thursday, February 21, 2013

Pieces of Marshall Best's Puzzle

     The inspiration for What Defines Us? came from my thoughts over the years regarding my husband.  In the article below, I share about the pieces that make up the puzzle of Marshall Best.
     

     Eight years ago, Marshall Best took the plunge into the entrepreneurial world, a world of ups and downs, excitement and disappointment, beginnings and endings, knowns and unknowns.  As a man who believes that God sometimes guides us very specifically, he had felt very certain that starting his own company was the next step God had for him.  Being an entrepreneur is a risky business, one that requires you to pour all that you have into a venture you hope and pray will succeed.  There are stresses involved with being the owner of a company that can’t compare to being an employee of a company.  In a sense, an entrepreneur places their life on the line.  Mankind has a tendency to define themselves based on their successes and failures.  On some of those more disappointing and worrisome days over the last eight years, I began to think of all the things that defined Marshall Best that had nothing to do with owning a company.  We all want to succeed; however, I realized that even if the company didn’t succeed, it was only a small part of the man that I had married.  So below I have listed many of the pieces of the puzzle of Marshall’s life.  They are pieces of a picture that help to answer the question, “Who is Marshall Best?”  We thank God for bringing us through many hard times.  Marshall Best Security is alive and well today and we owe it all to Him.


Marshall W. Best

Third son of four born to Walter and Dona Best in Seattle, Washington
Loved to play toy soldiers as a boy
Had quite the temper when younger
Collector of coins, stamps, soldiers, and toy airplanes
Saver of pennies
Lover of reading from an early age
One of the millions of piano students practicing, practicing, practicing
Grandson of an inventor and business owner
Son of a WWII Flight Instructor
 WWI ace Weir Cook taught his father to fly
Solo flight at the age of 16
Hates coffee and would pay to not go to a basketball game
Graduate of Heritage Christian School, Indianapolis, Indiana
Lover of military history, especially memoirs
Rebuilt three T-16 Universal Carriers from WWII with two of his brothers
One of those brothers restored a Sherman tank
Enjoyed dropping flour bombs on tanks from WWII Stearman biplane with his brother
One of his best days was shooting guns at a local rock quarry, dreaming of the future
Saw the original Star Wars 21 times at the theater (it ran 56 weeks)
Loved and still loves fishing
His mother’s apple pie and rice pudding put a smile on his face
Business graduate from Olivet Nazarene University, Kankakee, Illinois
No stranger to loss and sorrow
A follower of Christ
A man bent toward generosity
Former Vice-president of manufacturing for Best Lock Corporation
Loves hunting for a find at antiques stores
Enjoys a good laugh via The Far Side and Calvin and Hobbes
Loved watching Star Trek The Next Generation while eating gingersnaps and drinking Coke out of a bottle (with real sugar and real caffeine!)
One of his favorite places to visit is Brown County, Indiana
Appreciates quality art and sculptures
Collects Best Lock memorabilia and plans a museum in the future
Quiet until you get him talking about something he loves
His wife thinks he’d make a great history professor
A man committed to high principles
Absolutely adores his six children
Married to his wife Tracey for 19 years come March 2013
Is strong for those who are weak
Is thrilled to share Guiamo Chronicles with readers around the world



written by the wife who loves him

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