As many of you know, my brother Michael Manoff committed suicide on Feb. 4th, 2012. Some of his ashes were spread in the Palouse country where our mother, Marjorie Jean MacGregor was born….

Mikey and I heard stories about Palouse Falls from my mother when we were quite young. I have been there many times. I once told Mikey he should come see the MacGregor Ranch to understand the profound reality in my mother’s stories. I said that the only way to understand our mother’s life and sacrifices and her early death. And here was part of understanding of our lives too. Come to Hooper, Washington, Mikey. Mikey said he would never come.

But Sunday, April 15th  Micheal MacGregor Manoff came home  to the Palouse country. Some small part of his body  returned to the sacred ground and waters where our mother, Marjorie Jean MacGregor, knew the Palouse Indian Sam Fisher.

This is a message for my brother, wherever his spirit flies:

Mikey, you died never knowing that like many Scots in the New Land you had Indian blood. Mikey, it wasn’t just that our mother fought for Indians in her life, she never knew that she had their bloodline too,

Mikey: Your breath is gone, your face, your flesh and bone.  But  in your ashes you are still Michael MacGregor (Manoff.)

This is where we came from, Mikey. You and I and Marjorie Jean. The three of us.  Now there is one left, me.

Now Mikey, I must go and get some part of our our mother from her New York grave and bring that part home. A rock near her grave, perhaps, some dirt, a leaf and feather even of a bird that happened to fall near her stone.

Mikey, I once told Aunt Mary that I wanted to dig our mother up and bring her casket to the Palouse Country.

Aunt Mary said, “you should do that, Tom.” She knew what it meant.

Greetings Mikey as you come home

from your brother Tommy, and our mother, Marjorie Jean.

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