By Sheryl Roadcap

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PIQUA — A mother’s love never ends. And once a mother, always a mother, regardless of her child’s circumstances, or age, or even when the unthinkable happens and her child passes away before her.

One mother who refuses to give up and works to keep her late son’s spirit alive is Jeri Sweitzer, of Piqua. She and her husband Mark’s son and only child Mark “Markie” Wesley Sweitzer passed away unexpectedly in his sleep due to a rare, unknown heart disorder four years ago on Mother’s Day in 2020.

“We were like the Three Musketeers,” Jeri Sweitzer said of the close bond between herself, Markie and her husband when giving Miami Valley Today a tour of Markie’s house. “He was the perfect child. … He was such a good kid. And he was super intelligent.”

After the first year of grieving, and allowing her close friend Shorty, who referred to Markie’s Piqua home as “The Manor,” to stay at his house for a period of time, one day it hit Jeri that she should turn the place into an Airbnb as a way to keep the house “alive.” Thus, “Wesley Manor” was born.

“They say a house dies when not lived in, and I want it to stay alive. It keeps (Markie) alive,” Jeri said.

Markie was his dad’s right-hand man for their Piqua family business Mark Sweitzer Heating, Cooling & Refrigeration, but he also loved to play music with his dad. Markie played guitar and Mark plays drums.

Markie lived at his house for about 12 years and Jeri said it needed a lot of work when he first moved in, but when they decided to turn it into an Airbnb, they converted the look throughout the home to more-fully reflect Markie’s style as a musician. Jeri and Mark updated the house with a “Rock & Roll” theme throughout.

“It took about a year to get it ready (to list on Airbnb),” Jeri said. “It was hard when we first started, and then you feel guilty — like we should have been doing this for him (when he was alive). But he liked his privacy.”

Mark is good with his hands so he conceptualized and then created many parts of the decor in the home, Jeri pointed out — from old drums being made into end-tables, or light- or wall-fixtures, to a horn being made into a light fixture, putting down flooring and helping Jeri put up instrument decorated wallpaper and musical decals on the walls. Jeri also used some of Markie’s belongings such as his amplifiers, guitars, CDs and vinyl albums, as well as found rock-themed items, such as Fender-labeled drawer handles, cymbals from old drum sets, wall art with famous rock lyrics printed on them, frames for the vinyl album covers, or poster frames for rock posters. They even painted the seat of a chair like a piano.

From the moment one enters Wesley Manor, the amount of detail is impressive, as Jeri said, “I can tell people really like it when they walk in.”

Throughout the house it’s Rock & Roll, starting in the living room with a blue, velvet couch and tiger-print chairs, to a ‘50s-era Big Band microphone adorned with scarves in the way Steven Tyler from Aerosmith hangs scarves on his microphone and CDs strategically mounted on a wall all in a corner of the room among drums used alternatively. In every room, from the living room; to the game room with a stereo, pinball machine and other games; to the bathroom, with music symbols on the shower curtain and photos of famous musicians on the walls; to the staircase that has rock-themed sayings between each step; to the bedrooms with rock photos and posters on the walls; to the kitchen with small rock music touches throughout, makes the home feel like a cool place to stay.

Jeri said working on Markie’s house has really helped her as she would spend a lot of time seeking interesting items to use. Friends have also contributed items they come across to use at Wesley Manor. Photos do not do the place justice.

“Just like it was meant to be,” Jeri said. “I wanted to honor Markie. After my friend Shorty left, it was like my heart fell apart again because the house wasn’t alive. It’s been steady (renting it out) but not overwhelming. Because I still like to come over here and sit on the deck and still enjoy the house.”

“When it was all done, I was so proud of it. It was a lot of blood, sweat and tears —mostly tears,” Jeri said of the work she and Mark put into redoing the house. “In my heart of hearts, I think he would be very proud.”

Markie passed away on May 10, 2020, which was 20 days before his 30th birthday and fell on Mother’s Day that year. She said a couple of days before he passed away, he brought over some purple tulips because they had bloomed on the side of his house in all their beauty.

She recalled with tears in her eyes receiving those tulips that still grows on the side of the house and being grateful for that last Mother’s Day gift.

Wesley Manor will be blocked-off from being available on Mother’s Day, which falls on May 12 this year. Jeri said she plans to just hang out at Wesley Manor that day. So, on this Mother’s Day, don’t forget to wish Markie’s mom Jeri Sweitzer a heart-felt Happy Mother’s Day.

To check out Wesley Manor online, visit https://www.airbnb.com and search for places in Piqua