Mary, You Will Be Missed!

The Invictus community suffered a tremendous loss on Thursday evening when longtime member, Sea of Green supporter, mother of Nichole, and friend to all – Mary DeHart – lost her battle with pancreatic cancer.

This is hard to fathom for those who knew Mary – she was such a force of life not only in the gym where her fellow Invicti knew her best, but as a wife and mother, serving others in her community, and as a small business owner with her husband.

Mary joined Invictus shortly after we opened our doors in 2009, and quickly became a regular at the 9am class, making the over 40-minute drive to the gym each day to hang out with us. Surely she liked the workouts, but it was the community that was important to her and she was an integral part of molding what it is today. She was one of the original members of the Sea of Green at Regionals competitions and also in group classes where she always cheered for and supported her fellow classmates with a jovial spirit.

She was incredibly generous to everyone in the gym – especially with new faces – always taking the time to make sure everyone was included and acknowledged, even if it meant partnering up with someone who wasn’t as experienced. She kind of liked that, actually. It allowed her to let someone else shine instead of taking the spotlight.

She was really funny with the kids too – holding secret, side conversations with any of them who were hanging out while their parents worked out.

And she was incredibly strong. Much stronger than she let on, yet not wanting to be the center of attention and all. Sometimes you would look over and see her deadlifting a couple hundred pounds like it was a toothpick when she thought you weren’t looking. She always laughed when you busted her for it too.

Sadly, she’s the next loved one who has lost their battle with cancer. There probably aren’t very many reading this who haven’t lost someone to this devastating disease. Although they aren’t here to fight any longer, we can hold them in our memories and continue to battle this disease so it can’t take anyone else from us.

There will be services for family and friends on Saturday, February 29th, 5pm, at the Kingdom Hall, 2080 Encino Drive, Escondido, CA, 92025.

For the Sea of Green who want to honor Mary and anyone else who has lost their battle, or who is still fighting it, please join us for the Battle Cancer Pre-Event Tour, Downtown on Tuesday, March 10th at 4:30 & 5:30pm or at Sorrento Valley on Thursday, March 12th at 4:30 & 5:30.

Invictus will be hosting two Battle Cancer Series events this summer – one at Invictus Boston and one at Invictus San Diego Downtown. If you’re interested in participating as a volunteer, athlete, or donor, head over to their website to get yourself signed up.