Remembering 1st Lt. Marcus Warmsley
By Airman 1st Class Anabel Del Valle, 325th Fighter Wing
/ Published January 15, 2021
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla -- Tyndall AFB honored 1st Lt. Marcus Warmsley with a remembrance service and conference room dedication at the 325th Medical Group, Jan. 12, 2021.
The service consisted of heartfelt words from former co-workers and loved ones. A plaque that will hang in the newly renamed 1st. Lt. Marcus Warmsley Conference Room, formerly known as the Eagle Conference Room, was also unveiled.
“Warmsley was an invaluable member of the 325th Medical Group,” said Lt. Col. Jennifer Baker, 325th Medical Support Squadron commander. “He held dual positions while assigned to Tyndall, leading both the Resource Management flight and the Tricare Operations and Patient Administration flight following Hurricane Michael.”
During hurricane recovery efforts, Warmsley volunteered to receive an MRI as the MDG prepared to bring the MRI system back online. During the test, his co-workers discovered a large mass in his cerebellum. He was then referred to an off-base doctor for treatment.
On Aug. 30, 2019, Warmsley passed away due to a brain hemorrhage after surgery.
Warmsley was a firm believer in the butterfly effect, meaning a butterfly could flap its wings and set molecules of air in motion, which would move other molecules, and so on - eventually serving as a catalyst to start a movement on the other side of the planet. Warmsley carried this ideology with him every day.
“Marcus lived his life with meaning, where everything you do matters, every move you make matters, every action you take matters,” said Baker. “Marcus believed that you have been created so that you might make a difference.”
Warmsley continued to make a difference in the world after he was gone by donating his organs and helping seven people live.
“His actions were not hoarded, saved for later, or used selectively,” said Baker. “He has altered the lives of so many that he has interacted with and now those that he has never met.”
Warmsley left behind his wife, Cortney, and their pets.
“All of this can only be described as an honor,” said Cortney. “Marcus and I were honored to be allowed the opportunity to be there for others.”
Cortney continued, “Marcus once said to me, ‘We do not know what happens when we die, but if energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred, then it is my belief our souls live on when we pass away.’”