Murfreesboro man dies in helicopter crash

I miss the phone calls every morning. I miss the phone calls at night. I miss the 'Hey, woman. Settle down,' The list of things Brenda Burdick already misses about her son, Mark Burdick, goes on and on. via DNJ.com

[Dana Sholar]

Mark and I dated for several months in 2000. We continued to be close friends.He was a great guy to be around, he helped me out alot along w/ his mother.I still cannot believe this is true! He will be truly missed! His son Braden is a spitting image of him, so he will live on.

[Melanie]

There needs to be some clarity given here... Mark and I started dating in October 2003, our son Braden was born in September 2005, we were engaged on November 16, 2005. Something that was totally ignored is the fact that Mark not only loved and left behind Braden, he loved and left behind two step-daughters to be and me. I love Mark with my whole heart and that is something he took with him too! This is not to disrespect anyone, however, there is a huge mess that he also left behind and alot of confusion on the behalf of not only me, but several others. I am just clarifying my part! All I can say now is that I share something with Mark that noone else has ever or will ever and that is our son!! I have a daily reminder of everything he is, and for that I am beyond thankful! Mark was a great man, a wonderful father, and the one person that held his family together!

[Angie]

Melanie:
I understand your pain and frustration. I too lost my world and husband in December of 1992. My husband, Dennis Nylander was a pilot with Haverfield, his co-worker, Lineman, Randy Franzen (he was to be married in Feb. 93) also lost his life that day.

It was a difficult time (that is putting it lightly) and with no help and even aggrevation from the folks at Haverfield it has been a long road.

I just wanted you to know that you are not alone and I will keep you, your son and daughers and the Burdick family in my prayers.

Angie
[e-mail]

[Billy Akin]

Mark was a good friend of mine. I worked with mark and always liked being around him. He would make you laugh when you were having a bad day. He showed me pictures of his little boy and he looks just like his daddy, so a part of Mark will live on. The man will be missed by many, he was one of the best guys a person could have for a friend. Billy, [e-mail]

[Amy Ahrens]

Well its taken me a long time to finally come to grips with this whole situation. I loved Mark with my whole heart and still do. I still dream about him all the time. He was the greatest man i ever knew. He taught me how a woman should be treated and how to treat a man. I shall forever cherish his memory and hold him forever in my heart as my first true love. Madelyn and I love you Mark and we always will!

[Jeff]

Hey Mel;
If you loved Mark so, why were there no tears @ his memorial service? Why were you never able to get Mandy out of his life? If he loved you so, why did everyone around him know he wanted you gone? The day he was taken from us, who was the guy at your house all day? When you were told of his death, tell everyone your responce. Wasn't it something like, "What about me?" If your such a great, greiving woman, why did you do the first thing all vindictive bitches do, and prevent Marks family from seeing Braden? The one thing Mark should have done sooner was kick your worthless ass to the curb and get full custidy of Braden. I will donate money every year to Braden so long as you have no way to get at it. I loved Mark like a brother for years, and feel one of the worst days was when he met you.

[Mel]

Hey Jeff...
Considering you are most likely not very well educated,you probably live your life the same way Mark did his,and your maturity level is most likely not too high,I will not comment a whole lot on your comment above. Why so many questions from someone who thinks he knows it all?? I don't care to know who you are or how you knew Mark,I do care that there are people such as yoursef who will share their opinions of me on a web-site when you don't even know me! I am not going to explain a damn thing to you or anyone else! The only person besides me who can tell you what went on in mine and Mark's home and relationship is Mark,and he isn't here. I am sure if he could come back for just one day,he would clarify a whole lot to you and everyone else who has their opinions! He wouldn't be happy with the way I have been treated by people like you or his family either!! It is what it is though,and the only person who mattered in the end wasn't Mandy,you,his family,me,Braden,or anyone else...it was GOD and I am sure he is probably still trying justify his life to him!
As for you or anyone else donating money for Braden...MY son does not and never will need it!! I sure the hell don't want it! My children and I have a good life now. A life full of love and happiness,and free of abuse,alcohol,and bad influences. MY son has a daddy now,someone who really cares about him and can teach him GOOD values! Braden will never be like Mark was...and I can guarantee that!!! Thank you for your comment and as a Christian...I forgive you!!

[Mel]

Angie~
Thank you so much for the comment on here and I am sorry for your loss as well.
God Bless
~Melanie

[Mel]

I strongly feel that the idea of having this blog was a bad one. I am not sure how to get ahold of the person who started this,but it should be deleted. There is still alot of anger,hurt,frustration,confusi on,ect... when it comes to Mark and I don't think the person who started this even knew Mark. I am Braden's mother and I would appreciate it very much if the person who started this blog would end it. You have no idea what you have started and I don't appreciate having all kinds of people that don't even know me degrade me because of what they think they know. Please whoever you are,just delete this.

[Murfreesboro]

To all of the above,
I think you guys are all demented. I knew Mark for about 15 years, and I can tell you he loved his son with all of his heart. He was one of the greatest people that I have ever known. I will always cheris our friendship. However he was no saint, and anyone who knew him knew that. I don't know how any of you could sit and type such things about the mother of his child on a blog. Shame on you all. Jeff, I don't know you, nor do I care to, but I am sure you were probley one of the drunk idiots that Mark was known for hanging out with. You are sure to be a loser, and probley hung out with him to mooch or get free beer. If you were any kind of friend you sure wouldn't place blame on Mel, because she stayed home and took care of his child while he was off getting drunk and riding his bike with idiots like you. Really, you want to talk about his family. Let's go there. His family has turned out to be the craziest family ever. Why don't you ask his Mom how many times she tried to see Braeden after he died. She was to caught up in how much money she could collect. Ask her how much has been put up for Braeden. Let me tell you ZERO. If you guys knew the Mark that I knew, then you would know he would never want anyone to treat the Mother of his only son like crap. He would want his son to be taken care of, and loved. I can promise you he wouldn't want fighting among the family. I think they mooched off of him for years and it's time they stop.He would be ashamed of how everything has played out. They had a lot of problems, I will give you that, but anyone that he ever dated he had problems with. Amanda you should know that. You need to stop living in a dream world, and come back to reality. How many times can you crap all over someone. All you friends should know that.

[Carrie]

Mel,
You are right. This is sick. If you want to honor a deceased friend you say nice things you remember about that person. This seems to be more like a soap opera! Mark is gone, and Mel is a wonderful person who went thru hell..how dare anyone say anything other than how sorry they are for her, Braden, and the girls.As for your comments Jeff..have you ever met Mel or spoken with her..I think not. I will not waste the time to tell you how sorry you are, but I will say one thing to you, you will be judged in the end. May God be with you Jeff.

[Ted]

I think Mel should just answer the questions posed to her. Fact is we all loved Mark and always will. He was and still is a great man no matter what anyone else says. A person is who he/she was to you. Mark was a great friend for 25 years. Truth be told, I don't know this Jeff but when you put yourself out there, you stand the chance of some not agreeing with or liking your actions.

[Melanie]

Why is it so many people care about what I was doing the day Mark died, when for the whole 3 and a half years I was with him, noone seemed to care about what he was doing to me?? For all of you who know Mark so well, you know exactly what I am talking about! For crying out loud...Claudia was living with him until I was 6 months pregnant with Braden!!! Do you think if I had known I was being lied to and cheated on, I would have given up everything to be here in TN with him??? Oh, that is right...his family and friends lied for him and didn't think he was doing a damn thing wrong!!!
As far as what I was doing when he died....if he was so unhappy with me as all of you want to believe, then why don't any of you know that the day after he arrived in Montana, I told him I was done being hurt by him and I was leaving him! You would think he would have called everyone he knew since he didn't want to be with me anyway right?? So why is it anyone's concern what I was doing the day he died??? I wasn't even speaking to him!!! He would call, and I wouldn't answer! For some reason I finally answered the night before he died. I guess things really do happen for a reason huh? He talked to the kids and also tried to convince me that he didn't want me leaving....something I am sure none of you believe!!
Listen...none of you actually know me at all, you are just judging me on what you think you know, when in fact, you know nothing!! I am a good person and I have had to deal with the loss of Mark the same as everyone else. I miss him very much and despite what any of you think, I loved him with all my heart. The problem was, no matter how much you love someone, you can't change them or make them love you the same. I gave him my heart and my life, I was faithful to him, and I did my best to be the only person he needed. Noone was going to change him, he was who he was...that is why everyone loved him so much.
This will be the last time I even look at this site, so please understand that regardless of what any of you think you know, you don't know anything. Please deal with your pain some other way and let me deal with mine as well. I went through alot with Mark, and I am still going through alot now.

[Mandy]

April 6 2009,

So weird I typed in Mark's name today and this blog came up. You should be ashamed of yourselves!! Anyone that ever loved a person in their life would never write any of this shit!! Especially in the matter he left all of us. LOVE, is never hurtful that is why we loved each other for almost 24 years and no matter who, or what came in our lives we never let go. Mark lived life that is right but there is a reason why you are all still going on about him. He was and is a person that everyone wanted in their life. If you all loved him so much why are going about yourselves, his life is the one that was cut short. There is a mother left without a child, sisters without a brother, a father with out a son, a son without a father and many friends without their friend. This makes me sick to my stomach, one thing I pray is that Braden is half the man that Mark was. You may have only known the side that he let you know, the real heart is the one that only few people knew. He never let me go through any thing by myself or any one he loved. You people knew Mark for a very little time in life and you could say these things about him. I know when I lay down my head at night my tears still soak my pillow and my heart will always be broke. No matter the mistakes that he made as we all do, he was the kindest person I ever will know. It is very obvious that none of you knew him,if you could even post such things. Please remember that the web and things you write on it can never be erased so his son Braden one day will be able to see these horrible things. How shameful!! How sad!! Mark was my true love and I was his, he will always be mine. By the way the "drunk idiots" that Murfreesboro refers too, they always are there every May 28th and October 19th to celebrate a friend, where are the rest of you??? I know that you are not there because I am there every year and all the days in between! Mark was not perfect NONE of you all can claim to be either, if you are honest. Glass houses are hard to live out of and until any of you do please remember the lesson that we all learned in kindergarten and your first bible study (since you all like to refer to GOD) do one unto others as you would have done to you. I would remember the other lesson like, pointing your fingers at someone else always means you have four pointing right back at you!!! Put good in the world it will come back to you, put hate in the world IT will come back to you 10 full!!
If you have a clear conscience than there is no need for anyone to post or say the things above.
YOU all have to live with yourselves and the beds you make. But I would definitely bet that Mark is sitting right next to GOD and he is not the one that should be worried, judging or hate is one of the biggest sins, so next time when any you GODLY people open your bible to study please remember to pray for all the horrible people left in the world, that would never say this hateful, worthless things!! If any one of you were half the person he was GOD would have taken you to do the work that Mark is doing now, instead he has left you here until you learn how.