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With A VERY HEAVY HEART


FromdaBurgh

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ZipsNation, it is with tremendous sadness and a heart that is so heavy I cannot begin to describe...that on the early morning of Friday-March 28 myself, Rhema and Zeke loss my husband and their father/stepfather DARRYL BOZEMAN.

Needless to say my family and my son Zeke are devastated and still trying to wrap our minds around this entire thing. Please keep us lifted. Darryl LOVED..LOVED...LOVED every moment Zeke spent at Akron, every conversation with GoZips, DIG, Capt Kangaroo and many others he appreciated you all so very much.

Arrangements have not been made...but I will let you all know.

Love you all.


Nicole, Zeke and Rhema

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Nicole, Zeke and Rhema, I am just in a total state of shock. Darryl is so much alive in my mind and my heart from all the wonderful conversations we had over the years. I remember him so clearly and so full of life from talking with him at the Red Claws game in Canton just a few weeks ago. All of my thoughts and prayers are with you in this difficult time. Please let me know if there's anything I can do, and please do let us all know the details of the arrangements.

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Thoughts and prayers to you, Zeke, Rhema and the whole family. I had a chance to speak briefly with Darryl at a turnpike rest-stop on the way to Auburn Hills last year. It was a very pleasant conversation and I recall being struck by his friendliness and presence. I'm sure he'll be missed by many.

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GoZips and I drove over to Pittsburgh today to attend Darryl's visitation and offer our condolences to the family on behalf of all Zips fans. There were many family members and friends in attendance. There was a nice floral arrangement from Akron Basketball, and we learned that the coaches and players are planning to pay a special visit to the family in the near future to pay their respects. They were unable to attend today due to prior commitments. Nicole and all the family members appreciate all the nice thoughts that have been expressed here by members of the Zips family.

For those of you who never had a chance to meet Zeke's stepfather, he was one of the genuinely nicest and most positive persons I've ever met. I told the family how every time I spoke with Darryl at a Zips game, I always came away feeling energized and with better feelings about the world in general. Everyone I spoke with agreed that he had that effect on others. I made a special point to tell Zeke how Darryl had spoken so enthusiastically to me about Zeke over the years and how much he believed in Zeke. We spoke with Zeke at length and came away believing that he is absolutely committed to breaking down the door into the NBA. His international and D-League experiences have accelerated his maturation process. He's really developed into a confident, self-assured young man who we can all be proud of.

An unexpected surprise was the deep basketball discussion that developed with someone who GoZips and I had never met before. It just happened, and it took me a few minutes to realize we were speaking with Zeke's father, Jon Marshall, who played for two seasons at Penn State in 1973 and 1974. He was the team's leading rebounder both seasons, and still appears on the PSU record books as having the 6th most rebounds for a season in the school's history. In one game against Cincinnati he had 25 rebounds. Jon's passion for defense was evident throughout the discussion, making it obvious where Zeke's passion for defense came from. A strong disciplinarian who believes that coaches should not go easy on players, Jon knows every current Zips player and has opinions about the strengths and weaknesses of each and every one of them, which I will not go into here!

It was a sad day in saying our farewells to Darryl and at the same time a bright day in renewing friendships and getting to know other members of a warm, loving and strong family.

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What a fine family Zeke has surrounding him. Darryl has many friends beyond the immediate family.

The trip was one of joy as we got to "Celebrate Life" along with the Bozemans and Marshalls.

It is my firm, personal belief that Darryl is now enjoying what we all strive for; rest in the arms

of our Creator. May God eternally rest Darryl's soul.

Please continue to pray for Dan Peters. We love Dan.

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Hello family. I just wanted to stop by and say thank you to everyone who prayed for us during our time of grieving. We are slowly getting back to our day to day activities. The last week and a half has been, well, you all can imagine. Thank you especially to GoZips and DIG who made the trip to Pittsburgh to see about us. It was a honor to watch you walk into the church. I just cried when I saw you both. I love you guys so much and appreciate each of you tremendously.

This is hard for us and our lives have been changed forever, but Zeke and I are determined to honor my husband/his stepdads memory and push, pursue and fulfill our purpose. Zeke has a fire that I have NEVER seen before and I am putting everything on the table and going for it all with the launch of my company. Please keep us in your prayers as we navigate through this new place we find ourselves in and know that my family appreciate each of you and thank you for everything.

Much love,

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