Mark David Pycke was born on October 23, 1989 to Elaine & Roger Pycke and big sister Jessica. Mark attended Blaine Elementary (2004), Von Steuben High School (2008) and Moody Bible Institute (2012). Mark was married to Ruth (Pomareda) on June 14, 2014 and welcomed their boys to the family, Timothy (7/10/15) and Levi (5/18/18). He was loved by many, his laugh was infectious and he was a kind soul. He loved being a father and a husband. Although his time on Earth was short Mark impacted thousands of lives, and his sprit will live within us always.

Joe loved life, some of his favorite things include:
* Spending time with his family, playing board games
* Vacationing in Maui
* Cruising, especially unlimited crispy bacon at the breakfast buffet
* Shopping of any kind, but he loved the hunt in second-hand shops
* Drinking Diet Coke
* Playing his piano and singing for the family
* Caring for people as a nurse
* Loving JoJo, our chubby shih tzu that passed away in November 2020
* Going fishing


JOE'S KEY LIFE EVENTS
* October 12, 1956, born in San Antonio and was quickly adopted by Hildegard and Joseph Gill
* Graduated from Trinity University with a BA in voice performance
* Graduated from Texas Women's University with his RN license
* Was an ER/ICU travel nurse in several cities in Texas
* Moved to San Francisco and was a nurse in SF General AIDs ward & SF County Jail, became a nursing supervisor in a nursing home, detox center for the homeless & Saint Francis hospital, and eventually an inspector for the State of California, licensing and investigating complaints in hospitals and nursing homes
* Joined the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus
* May 1998, adopted Elaine with Gerry shortly after her birth
* Received his BA and MA from San Francisco State
* Connected with his birth family
* Received his Doctoral in Management from University of Phoenix (ABD)
* August 24, 2013, married Gerry
* Transferred his job to Los Angeles, and moved so that Gerry could care for his sick father
* Transferred his job to Riverside County and moved to Cathedral City
* January 11, 2021, at 6:33 PM, passed away due to COVID-19 (4.5 weeks being sick, last 2-weeks in the Hospital, last 6 days in ICU), he fought long and hard, but just continued to decline until he had multiple organ failures, and the likelihood of recovering at all was very very slim, and if by a miracle he were to recover, he would have to live in a nursing home with an advanced oxygen system, would not be able to walk or talk.



ADVANCED HEALTH CARE DIRECTIVES
Joe and I discussed end of life preferences since we got our first Domestic Partnership "license" in 1996. He was very pain adverse and did not want to live a severely restricted life, let alone live in a vegetative state. It was so very reassuring to know that Elaine and I were able to fulfill his last wishes.
If you do not have an advanced directive, I would encourage you to not only get one so that your family has a written document outlining your desires, but also discuss your desires with your family. If you do not want extreme life-saving interventions, doing both will save them from having to struggle with your end of life decisions and their residual lifelong guilt. Doing this is a generous thoughtful gift to your loved ones.
Joe was a very strong person, having overcome many surgeries and health issues. We had no expectation that COVID would be his cause of death. He was only 64 years old. If you are age 18 or older you should have an advanced directive. Imagine the conflict a parent feels if their adult child was in a horrible accident and having to make these end of life decisions. On one hand, they want their child to survive at any cost, but on the other knowing that doing so will more than likely result in their caring for their child in a vegetative state and costing them all of their life savings.
The form that I like is available for free from UCLA. The form is acceptable by all healthcare organizations. It should be witnessed by two people or a notary for full legal standing. But simply signed, it does communicate your desires in writing to those who have to make medical decisions on your behalf.
https://www.uclahealth.org/Workfiles/site/AdvanceDirective_English.pdf



LESSONS
If we had to do this over again, before going to the ER, we would first see if any of the hospitals in our area allow for a visitor at the end of a patient's life. Most hospitals do not allow this in ANY COVID ward, or ICU. This policy was not the desire of the medical staff, but rather an administrative decision to protect them from any liability and to make their staff's job easier. It is cruel, inhumane, and uncaring of these profit-driven organization's legal advisors and administrators.
COVID is a lonely pandemic. First, we are isolated and discouraged from meeting face to face; next, if you get sick you are totally isolated at home or in the hospital; finally, you die alone with no family there to care for you, express their love to you, say goodbye to you, etc. We were fortunate to be able to FaceTime Joe's passing. However, it was brutal and a far second from being able to say goodbye in person.



COUNTRIES JOE VISITED
Canada, China, Bahamas, Brazil, France, Grenada, Grand Cayman, Hong Kong, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Portugal, Saint Martin, Spain, & Thailand.



IN LIEU OF FLOWERS, Joe would appreciate it if you would make a small donation to either of these organizations:

* Human Rights Campaign, a nation-wide non-profit supporting the rights of the LGBTQ community
https://give.hrc.org/page/23336/donate/1?locale=en-US
When making our donation to HRC, please fill in their Send Notification of Gift to- Gerry & Elaine Tseng-Gill, tsenggill@yahoo.com, 35602 Tranquil Pl, Cathedral City, CA 92234

* Operation Smile, an international non-profit that repairs people born with a cleft lip and/or pallet free of charge, primarily in developing countries; Elaine was born with a bilateral cleft palate (inside her mouth), and without the repair, she could not eat enough to sustain herself.
http://support.operationsmile.org/site/TR/SmileFund/SmileFund?px=2957939&pg=personal&fr_id=2576



SURVIVED BY:
* Elaine Tseng-Gill, his daughter
* Gerry Tseng-Gill, his husband



UPDATES
I will continue to update this page with more information about Joe's life. If you have any dates or details you feel should be included, please email them to me at tsenggill@yahoo.com. I would like your help in listing surviving members of his adopted family and half-siblings of his birth family.



Please feel free to write your own tribute to Joe below. Please feel free to share this page with Joe’s friends and family.

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Sheila was a daughter sister aunt mother and wife. She always had kind words to say about others she wore long dresses and always had a smile on her face no matter what she was going through, when she was little she had a guinea pig . She loved Christmas and all the Beethoven movies. Planted her tree forevermore she is standing with angels and found the peace she was looking for.

Brian there are so many memories that will remain with us forever you were a wonderful loving strong Uncle Son and Brother. Smile for all heart of gold one of the best this world could hold. Spread your wings and fly your a beautiful angel in the sky. Your heart or door would open up to anyone such a kind caring person with a big heart, we know you are set free and in a the most beautiful place looking after everyone.

Brian name blessing
My mouth spoke wisdom and the meditation of my heart gave understanding

David was a son father uncle and grandfather and a very talented musician he taught himself how to play guitar at a young age, and he loved jamming out to his favorite songs and learning new tunes also a great chef. He was kind very funny he can make any one laugh he had two little dogs that he loved. He worked in drywall and carpentry, and he was smart and he always stood up for what was right in God's eyes he always helped family and would give you advice. David closed his eyes for the last time the memories we all shared will always live on just like his soul. When we look up at the stars in our hearts we will hold him close.
Psalm 91

Arthur M. Cohen, UCLA professor emeritus of education and pioneer of the field of the field of community college studies, died Friday morning, 12/25/20. He was 93 years old.

Eulogies/memorials follow:
**************
Eulogy at Hillside Memorial Park and Mortuary
By Son Bill Cohen

I have a few things to say about this place, Hillside, as an alternate little world for us. My stepmother, Flo, whom quite a few of you knew, is here. My natural mother is here. My stepfather is here. Undoubtedly some of your loved ones are here. And now my father, Arthur Cohen is here. I might end up here myself one day.

Our little world in West LA is intact right here. It's not going to change. And some of us, including myself, don’t want our little world to change. Long-term, right here is the museum of the memory of our little community.

Now we’re here to honor and say goodbye to my dad, Arthur Cohen. One thing someone pointed out to me is how many of you here consider yourself among my dad’s extra special friends. And you were. It’s a testament to my dad to get to have so many extra special friends. Some people don’t have many special friends at all. I’m glad you all are here and make up this little community. It meant a lot to my dad.

My dad and I go back a long way. As a boy, he would take me to the construction sites he managed, and I met a group of tough, hell raising roofers and carpenters that he sometimes had to bail out of jail in the middle of the night. Here’s an early memory: It's 7am, and we’re on the front bench seat of a 56 Ford pickup. On the left is my dad at the wheel, I’m in the middle in the era before seat belts were invented, and we have picked up a member of the construction crew. He’s on the right. Pulls out an unopened fifth of whiskey, turns it upside down over his head and guzzles 7/8ths of the bottle in one gulp, and passes it to my dad. My dad carried a rifle in his pickup, liked to go what he called “bunny busting,” aka hunting, and at one time owned several large Mack Trucks. He went skinny dipping in the ocean whenever he could get away with it, while my mom sat on the beach utterly appalled. He smoked huge Cuban cigars. He once injured his back by picking up and carrying a refrigerator. Almost cut his leg off with a machete while trimming a tree. After a full day of laying heavy concrete block in the scorching Miami sun, he went to night school. Once class at a time, for eleven years to get his Masters. He saved up, then moved a family of six to Tallahassee and got his PhD in two years.

We moved to LA in 64 because my dad got a job at UCLA. My dad’s major hobby was drinking, but he met his match in B. Lamar Johnson and his circle. It seemed like my parents had a lot of parties. Pretty much if you crossed the threshold of our house, they knew what you drank, they had it in stock, and they would hand it to you right at the door. Only then would you walk into the living room. These were the days when guests would get so drunk, they would put lampshades on their heads, and would walk into my mom’s paintings. I noticed that my dad hardly ever said anything. He liked to be around a lot of people, but he just liked to listen or be there. He did not have to be the life of the party. More like a silent cat that sat five feet away from another silent cat under a car. In our teenage years, my brothers and sisters and I spent just about every night in a living room full of card players in a mini tournament, just like the bridge club he went to. As a life master of bridge, he was a formidable card player. He flew continuously around the country and around the world going to lectures and conferences. He would even take a plane to help someone with a construction project. That’s a lot of socializing for a guy who said almost nothing in a group.

When I was young, my mom would show me a picture of my dad, or a book he wrote, and she would say to me, “See this? Your dad’s a great man.” She even had bronze sculpture made of his head – a portrait bust. But in our whole large house in Westwood, outside of his clothes, 100% of his belongings fit in the smallest top drawer of one dresser.

Throughout my life my dad was always there for me. And believe me, as a member of the Psychedelic Generation, I was a little rebel and I was a handful. He had an unusual amount of control over his temper to be able to rescue me from my antics and I have to thank him for it. He was a very quiet, serious guy, but you couldn’t have a better dad, or friend. I am sorry to lose the major person in my life.

After I grew up, I visited with my dad very often. Almost every time he left my house, or I came home from his house, I would find a little note he wrote, thanking me for the visit. He really appreciated the connection. Just as he appreciated being with all of you.

Well, one day we will probably be together here again, to remember our little community.

***************
Art Cohen Continuing Memorial
by Carrie Kisker
In 1964, upon receipt of a doctorate in higher education from Florida State University, Art took his first and only professional post as professor of education at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he remained until he retired in 2004. Much has been written about his time in UCLA’s Moore Hall—indeed in 2007 an entire volume of the Community College Review was dedicated to “The Scholarly Contributions of Arthur M. Cohen”—but highlights include the establishment of the ERIC Clearinghouse for Community Colleges in 1966, the launch of Jossey-Bass’ New Directions for Community Colleges series in 1973, the creation of the Center for the Study of Community Colleges in 1974, and the numerous books and widely-cited research reports he published on the community college enterprise, both on his own and with his beloved wife and colleague, Dr. Florence B. Cohen (1923-2014).

Art Cohen was a prolific scholar: 21 books; more than 80 book chapters, journal articles, and essays in edited volumes; and still more conferences papers, journalistic pieces, and research reports for the Center for the Study of Community Colleges than is possible to count. Indeed, as his former students and community college scholars Dr. Jan Ignash (retired vice chancellor for academic and student affairs, State University System of Florida, Board of Governors), and Dr. Jim Palmer (professor emeritus at Illinois State University) wrote in 2007, “The fact that today we can even speak of ‘the field of community college studies’ is in large part due to the work of Arthur Cohen. He was interested in the community college at a time when it was finding its place within the U.S. system of higher education institutions, perceived by some as the ‘stepchild’ of higher education, by others as an extension of secondary education, and by still others as ‘career academies.’ Cohen helped shape the perception—and acceptance—of the community college as a true collegiate institution.”

Art’s most indelible mark on the field, however, was his impact on students—and he considered all of us his students, whether yours was one of the nearly 75 dissertations he chaired, or if he simply commented on your seminar paper or conference presentation. With an historian’s memory for dates and facts, and an unabashed distaste for pretentious or overly theoretical language, Art was consistently candid (occasionally gruff!), sometimes critical, yet always fair. Compliments from Dr. Cohen—for no one who had not yet earned their doctorate had the right to call him “Art”—were high praise indeed, as they were not issued unless they were earned. But when a compliment was handed out… you really knew you had done something right.

Perhaps the most striking illustration of Art Cohen’s impact on the field is the number of students whose career trajectories began like Carol Kozeracki’s (dean of academic affairs at East Los Angeles College), who acknowledged that “having entered UCLA’s Graduate School of Education… I had no understanding of the significance of community colleges’ role in higher education, and certainly no interest in focusing my research or career prospects on these institutions.” Or Leslie Purdy’s, president emeritus of Coastline Community College, who wrote that “When I enrolled [in the doctoral program at UCLA]… I was not very familiar with the mission and practices of those institutions. However… it did not take me long to be drawn to Art Cohen’s teaching about, research on, and passion for community colleges. Little did I know then that I would spend my entire professional life working in community colleges, applying many of the ideas and concepts I learned from him in graduate school.”

Like Drs. Kozeracki and Purdy, who went on to become community college leaders, Art inspired several generations of UCLA graduate students to become community college administrators, university faculty, state-level education policy officers, and independent researchers. And beyond Art’s graduate students at UCLA, there are the thousands of community college faculty and administrators and higher education policymakers who read one of six editions of The American Community College (first published by Jossey-Bass in 1982, last published in 2014), The Shaping of American Higher Education (1998 and 2010), or the many other publications by Cohen and Brawer. It is safe to say that Arthur M. Cohen will remain one of the most recognizable and respected names in higher education for many decades to come.

In addition to his professional work, Art was a proud husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather; an ardent gardener; a master mason; an Italophile; and along with his wife Florence, a passionate collector of art, particularly sculpture. Upon Florence’s death in 2014, Art donated their entire sculpture collection to the Luskin Conference Center at UCLA, where seven abstract sculptures by Minoru Niizuma, several from prominent sculpture artist Jack Zajac—with whom they became good friends—and others by Sorel Etrog and Dimitri Hadzi are on permanent display.

Arthur M. Cohen will be remembered fondly by fellow members of the Council for the Study of Community Colleges, many of whom are his former students, and all of whom hold the greatest admiration for him and the body of work he created and inspired.

*************

Erlinda, fondly called Tita Lyn by her former students and Ate Lyn to her younger siblings has left us on the wee hours of Christmas Eve. After experiencing a debilitating stroke four years ago, she hanged on for a while. She was a strong woman and did not give up easily. We surmised that she wasn’t ready then. Her mission for sure was to prepare her loved ones for her inevitable departure. After all, she was the leader of the pack of seven siblings still living in the Philippines. Since their eldest sister lives abroad, Mama Lyn had to be the driving force and comfort for them. They have always looked up to her for direction and guidance. Most of our Uncles and an Auntie who were younger have gone ahead to join the Lord. Finally, on a holiday, she left on her own accord presumably to meet up with her husband who passed away early this year. The day after Christmas was their wedding anniversary. We are certain that she had a date with him. Although they’ve had some rough moments as retirees due to proximity at home plus age-related ailments slowly settling in, they were inseparable, nonetheless. It was no surprise to us that she followed him only after a few months.

In the academic world, she spent decades mastering her craft. But one can say she had that innate talent in engaging people considered invaluable as an educator. She was revered as a consummate Filipino teacher who can wow her audience with stories mostly personal ones while speaking in our traditional national language. After all, she was a Filipino professor all her life. Her students found the subject very challenging. But she made them love it eventually. She was a planner who had the passion for orchestrating major events like songwriting and choral contests to celebrate Linggo ng Wika (Language Week). Lastly, she was a writer/ publisher that created short stories and encouraged her students to imagine and author their own to be compiled with hers. Those books were in fact used as textbooks for the school.

In the age of digital technology, Mama Lyn stubbornly but endearingly wrote long hand in her educated cursive fashion. Before she lost her hand's mobility, she would still send snail mail to everyone across the world when e-mails were the norm. That was her way to make them feel her personal sentiments. Without a doubt, people looked forward to seeing her familiar scrawl on the envelope. She would have said “being busy” is just an excuse. Taking the time to call or write clearly shows how you value that person.

Erlinda has touched peoples lives in many ways. In the last four years until the very end, her caregivers had a love and hate relationship. For sure she was frustrated feeling helpless especially for somebody who wanted to be in control most of the time. Beneath the tough exterior, she had a charitable and loving heart and we will always cherish that best part of her. We will miss you Mama.

“Your life was a blessing, your memory a treasure, you are loved beyond words and missed beyond measure.”