Teen who died from diabetes helped kids overcome disease

This teenager who died from the disease he helped children overcome was laid to rest Friday after a standing-room-only chapel full of mourners bid farewell.

During the service at Progressive Funeral Home in Columbus, neither of the two speakers mentioned the work 19-year-old Marquis House did at Camp Kudzu, where he attended with other diabetics since age 8, first as a camper then as a counselor. But, according to the funeral program, House was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes at age 4 and “rose above its challenges to become a dynamic young man, willing to help others learn to live successfully with diabetes.”

House graduated from Northside High School in 2015 and was majoring in computer science at the University of West Georgia. He was found unresponsive in his dorm room the evening of Feb. 12, Carroll County coroner Keith Hancock told the Ledger-Enquirer. The autopsy showed it was a natural death, caused by diabetic ketoacidosis, Hancock said. That means House, who had type 1 diabetes and self-administered his medicine, didn’t have enough insulin in his body, Hancock said.

The message about House’s premature death was clear from his family even before the service started: “Heaven couldn’t wait for you,” Beyonce repeatedly sang in the looping video of photos showing House from birth to graduation. The only other sounds were the periodic sniffles from mourners. A few approached the open casket, surrounded by flowers.

Then the mood went more upbeat with Kirk Franklin’s “I Smile.”

“I smile, even though I hurt, see I smile,

“I know God is working so I smile.”

House indeed smiled — big and bright. Many of the photos showed House with an arm around family and friends, sometimes mugging for the camera, mouth agape, eyes wide.

No wonder the Rev. Patricia Burns of Putney United Methodist Church in Albany began the service with this declaration: “Family and friends, this is a homegoing celebration. We are to smile, because of the influence that Marquis had on our lives. He’s smiling with us now. It’s OK to shed your tears, but remember the love.”

In his eulogy, Pastor Tony James of Friendship Baptist Church in Newnan talked about Jesus Christ and said, “We can praise God today, amen, because death didn’t hold Him down, amen. He is the risen king, and Marquis, amen, is risen.”

That’s because, James said, despite House being “a joker,” he could talk about “a serious God.”

One day, James recalled, House asked him questions about salvation. James replied, “Do you want the plan of salvation?”

House quickly replied, “No.”

James told House he would give him time to pray about it, but the young man assured his pastor, “Don’t worry about it. We don’t have to pray about it because I’m already saved.”

As the mourners applauded, James continued, “So we don’t have to wonder about his transition. … I can’t say that he lived a perfect life. I can’t say that he didn’t make mistakes. I can’t say that he was holier than thou. But I can say he knew salvation, and because he knew salvation, he transitioned well.”

James sparked laughter when he remarked that House liked attention. Well, the pastor said, he was at the center of attention now.

“He gave us enough moments that, on this particular day, we can all sit in here and talk about transition,” James said. “We can say, ‘You know what? You must transition as well.’ As he transitions, we have to examine our own lives as we transition.”

James said he is certain that House has gone to Heaven, where he’s “running around with all the angels, and somebody’s telling him to sit down, son.”

So if you want to see House again, the pastor asked the mourners, “What is your decision?”

Camp Kudzu executive director Alex Allen emailed the Ledger-Enquirer this tribute to House:

“Marquis first came to Camp Kudzu in 2006, and has been a beloved member of the Camp Kudzu family ever since,” Allen wrote. “He took part in our CIT program in 2015 and 2016. Last year he became a valued volunteer counselor, working with 11-12 year old boy campers. He was caring and sensitive to their needs, and went the extra mile in his role. The young men and women who grew up with him found him to be a kind, inspiring and lively friend. We adults admired his ability to cope with the challenges that diabetes put in his way. Our community grieves for Marquis and the future he was building.”

According to his obituary, Marquis is the son of Timothy House (Sandra) of Newnan and Chereia McMath House (Tremain) of Columbus. He also is survived by his brother, Timothy House Jr. of Colorado, and his sister, Tongingue House (Terrance) of Columbus. As a military dependent, he was buried in Fort Mitchell National Cemetery.

The family suggested in the funeral program that donations may be me in House’s honor to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation or Camp Kudzu, 5885 Glenridge Drive, Suite 160, Atlanta, GA 30328.

This story was originally published February 24, 2017 at 3:17 PM with the headline "Teen who died from diabetes helped kids overcome disease."