I was stunned and broken-hearted earlier this week when I got the news that Marisa Futral had suddenly dropped dead last Saturday while deer hunting with her husband. A brain aneurysm is believed to be the cause.

She was an Alabama Wildlife & Freshwater Fisheries Division captain. She was one of those rare people who played a role in thousands of people’s lives, and many were unaware of how big a role she played. She was the state’s hunting safety coordinator. She was in charge of the state’s National Archery in Schools program. She was a main cog in the ultra-popular Becoming an Outdoors Woman program.

There are Alabama hunters who are no doubt alive today thanks to her tireless efforts to make Alabama’s woods safer. Those folks will never know she saved them. There have been no hunter fatalities in this state the last two years. Hunters who may have otherwise been careless with guns or fallen out of tree stands obviously took her preaching to heart.

Tens of thousands of Alabama middle school and high school students have participated in the National Archery in Schools programs in recent years. Thousands of parents who have witnessed their children find a place where they can fit in on a school team and compete have her to thank.

Thousands of women who wanted to learn about Alabama’s outdoors in an environment sensitive to women owe her their gratitude, too.