November 12, 2018 was a day that shocked the Marvel Universe and the whole world. November twelfth marks the anniversary of Stan Lee’s death.

Stan Lee’s works have inspired and united people from all over the world in all different walks of life. Freshman Matilda Simmons reflects on how Marvel has impacted her life, “Marvel has really opened up a gateway to a part of cinema that I never thought existed. The characters and all their backstories are in some way relatable. Marvel and Stan Lee have opened up my mind to creativity in amazing ways.”

The stories of Marvel characters unite people by heroism and the love of a great story. It’s easy to escape the hardships of life with a few friends and a whole lot of strangers in your local movie theaters, watching a wonderfully relatable story unfold.

In honor of his passing, I’d like to remember him by sharing my story about meeting him and a quick summary of his impactful career.

A (very) brief summary of Stan Lee’s career-

Stan Lee started his career working as an errand boy for his local comic paper (Timely Comics) in 1939, and was eventually permitted to create small comic strips. This opportunity allowed him to create his first real superhero—The Destroyer. After that, he entered the U.S Army as a repairman and filmmaker. Shortly after returning home he got married. Following his marriage, he went back to working at Timely Comics and started creating the Marvel Universe as we know it.

In 2009, he created the Stan Lee Foundation—an organization that provides educational opportunities to kids across the nation. The last big event in his nearly 78 year career was writing the Zodiac Legacy book series.

His family life-

Just talking to Stan Lee for a short period of time, one thing I learned was that he loved his family more than anything. And the story of how he met his wife of 69 years was one of the most touching things I heard that day.

He met her when he was supposed to go on a date with a woman that his friends knew. The woman did not answer the door when he came, but Joan, a hat model at the time, did. He knew then and there that this was the woman he would love for the rest of his life. And he was right. He took Joan out to lunch that day, and the rest was history.

The couple had two daughters together, one of whom sadly died at the age of three, and the other, JC, who was the center of their whole world. It was evident to me that JC was so lucky to have such amazing parents!

One of the most real people I’ve ever met-

In 2018 my family had the honor of meeting Stan Lee (two months before he passed). We were blessed with this one of a kind opportunity after my mom spoke with his agent. It just so happened that at that time my little brother was doing a project about Stan Lee, and after hearing about it, the pro-law enforcement legend wanted to meet my family. I know right!

The day came, and I was ecstatic. Driving through the Hollywood Hills, I eagerly awaited seeing Stan Lee’s grand mansion. When we got there, I was very surprised not to see a grand mansion but a small, two-story, very old house. Stepping inside, the house was pretty ordinary, except for all the beautifully odd knick-knacks and Marvel memoirs hanging all over the walls.

And there he was, Stan Lee. Being in his presence felt unreal. Talking to him, I soon came to know that the house I was standing in was the first house Stan Lee and his wife bought. I also learned from his agent that recently his wife had died, and during his time of mourning, horrible lawyers had literally walked out of his house with valuable things, stole his real-life Iron Man suit, and had even illegally taken, and sold his blood.

Although those things were sad, I couldn’t help but be amazed by how grateful and happy Stan Lee was. He talked about the wonderful memories he had with his family and how full his life was. He was so proud of the million-dollar house he bought across the way for his daughter.

But looking back at this moment, what stuck out to me was that (I know this sounds so cliché) he was just so real. He was a real and wonderful person, just like you and me. He was a simple man who enjoyed his life. Stan Lee was a hardworking, self-made man; he was a humble genius.