Redfish

You'd think that the shirt says it all... and it says a lot. If given the chance, I think Tara might also add compassion, curiosity, and love. She left us with lessons from the best of both worlds.

On a quiet and cold morning in April, Sandy Gluski and her husband Paul, sit with me at their dining room table. We laugh, we smile, and we also wipe tears from our faces as they remember and share stories of their daughter, Tara Gluski. Tara was the 906AT Adventure Coordinator for over five years. She worked alongside Todd, growing Adventure Team programming, creating systems for managing data, sharing her love of the outdoors with youth and the community. She was well known and well loved.

She had a number of jobs before moving from the Lower Peninsula to the Upper Peninsula – she worked for a cleaning company, a gardening company, for ETNA – which brought her to the Upper Peninsula two times a year. Sandy says she was drawn here for the outdoors. She fell in love with Marquette.

“From day one in Marquette she worked for nonprofits – she had to do something she felt good about in her heart.”

She always wanted to work with children – at one time aspiring to be a special education teacher. Her mom says she always loved kids – loved being outdoors with kids and helping them.

Tara died in a car accident in 2024, ten months after 906 Adventure Team purchased the property on Lakeshore Boulevard and plans began for a park on the green space behind the building. The loss devastated her family, the community and her 906AT friends and family.

The organization pressed forward determined to continue to work and find a way to honor and carry her energy, spirit and passion in everything they would do. 906AT decided to name the park, Gluski Park – a tribute to a woman who believed in the mission of empowering people to become the best version of themselves through outdoor adventure with everything she was.

“It means everything to us,” says Sandy. “How many people who’ve lost someone they loved so much, has something named after them? It means everything.”

Tara’s dad Paul stops at the 906AT property every morning for a cup of coffee. He feels connected to her in the space. He talks to her. He knows her car will never again be in the parking lot, but it’s a place he can go to feel the mark she made on this world.

Sandy says, “We are fortunate to have known such a person, a person who created such an impact on the community that she will always be remembered. It’s heartwarming that she’s always here.”

It’s beautiful to listen to the stories of Tara’s life. Of her childhood playing in the woods and in the lake. Hearing the story of her wedding day on Presque Isle, the laughter she shared with her husband, the happiness she felt traveling, spending time outdoors, adventuring. Her dedication to 906AT and the work she did with Todd for youth, families and the community. She made an impact.

As we move into the next phase of the Gluski Park project it’s important to look forward, but it’s equally as important to reflect back and never forget where the project began – with Tara and Todd. Tara is an example of a life well lived, and the difference one person can make. For her work, for her dedication, for her passion, spirit and energy – we’ll honor Tara with every speck of dirt and drop of sweat that goes into building Gluski Park – we’ll carry her with us.

Sandy says Tara is always with her, in her heart, in the breeze, in the sunshine on a cold April morning, “My goal in life is to hopefully live it as honorably as she did.”

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🌈🍀 Elevate your brand with a touch of Irish charm this St. Patrick's Day! 🍻💚 Let's create magic together. 🌟 🍀✨

🎄🔔 Forget the chestnuts roasting on an open fire—our servers are running hot with joy and excitement for the season! 🌡️🔥 Let's sleigh this season with joy, laughter, and maybe a tad too much eggnog! 🥳🥂

Merry Holidays from all of us at Redfish!