RIVER NORTH — Family and friends of Marques Gaines are planning a children's book to honor the memory of the beloved bartender and writer.
Gaines, 32, was punched and knocked into the street, where a cab ran over him, in early February. Police have not arrested anyone in Gaines' death, and his family is suing the cab driver, a taxi company and the 7-Eleven near where the incident occurred.
Gaines' cousin, Drexina Nelson, said Gaines was a "gentle spirit" who was passionate about writing, particularly screenwriting. Phyllis Nelson, Gaines' aunt who raised him since the time he was 10, said he'd written since a young age and loved comedies and thrillers.
Now Gaines' friends are putting together a children's book, to be called "Magical Marques," that will honor his memory, his family said. Gaines' friends are also collecting his short stories and looking at ways to continue them.
The children's book will be "all about him being Marques," Drexina Nelson said. She said she loved Gaines but never realized how special he was to so many people until they reached out and proposed projects like "Magical Marques."
"When you have a family member, they're just your family member. You love them," Drexina Nelson said. "But when I stepped back and I saw how he affected so many people, of all races, all walks of life, and to hear them consistently say the same thing about him touched me to my soul. I mean, we don't really have people like that, that really care anymore.
"It was kind of like ... for him to die where no one cared for him, when he did nothing but care for everyone, it's just a tragedy."
Gaines wrote as a child but gave it up for a short time, taking it up again the last few years, family said. He started a "writing pack" with a friend. That friend will now help create "Magical Marques."
Jeremy Schnitker, another friend of Gaines', told DNAinfo in February that he and Gaines were both aspiring writers who would talk about their craft when hanging out. Gaines read Schnitker's manuscript and mentioned that his own stories focused on growing up and college.
"That's kind of another unfortunate thing about" what happened, Schnitker said. "He never really had the time to flesh out all he was working on. ... He was a pretty amazing dude. Everybody's lives are richer with Marques around."
Phyllis Nelson said Gaines would share his writing with her. She has a lot of Gaines' writing at home, but she hasn't been able to look at it since losing him.
"I haven't been able to do anything right now," Nelson said. "I've got to get my head on straight."
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:
