As the most trusted memorial diamond company, a question we are often asked is what people do with their loved one's Eterneva Diamond. Most of the time, people opt for a ring or necklace, so they can keep their loved one close. Our co-founder Garrett, is making a one-of-a-kind golf putter that will hold his best friend and brother-in-law's blue Eterneva Diamond.
“I think about Joe every time I play golf. When I make a great shot or something really cool happens on the course, I think to myself ‘how he would have loved that.’ I don’t have the words for how excited I am for this to all come together.”
Think about something you love doing more than anything in this world.
Now think about who you’re with.
For Garrett Ozar, co-founder of Eterneva, it was playing golf with his best friend and brother-in-law, Joe Maragoni. Forging a friendship in the formative years of their early twenties, Joe and Garrett shared a remarkable bond. In many ways, they grew up on the golf course.
“He was someone you wanted to share things with. Funny stories, career milestones, just life in general. He was the person you wanted to celebrate with, and also the person you wanted to talk to when shit wasn’t going your way.”
After losing Joe to a battle with ALS in 2023, Garrett’s grief journey led to creating an extraordinary tribute that eternalizes their friendship in a unique and meaningful way.
The Spirit of Competition
“Joe was the most extreme golfer in every way. I’ve never seen someone hit more amazing shots or have bigger blow-up holes.”
A pastime enjoyed by millions around the world, golf is a great way to relax and spend quality time with someone. For Garrett and Joe, however, the golf course was the arena where they would not only spend quality time with eachother, they would also go head-to-head every time out.
The grand prize?
Bragging rights.
“What I think was most fun,” shares Garrett, “is that we would always be within one or two strokes of each other. There were so many times when we would tie, because we both just refused to lose. Which, of course, meant we’d have to continue the competition elsewhere.”
Since Garrett and Joe were roommates, their tiebreakers meant stopping at a bowling alley on their way back from the golf course or intense matches of pool or ping-pong, and in extreme cases, racing to the stop sign and back on foot.
“We couldn’t go to bed until someone won,” says Garrett. “It was literally a non-stop competition between us. He made my life more fun.”
Beyond the Game
“I worked in the golf industry and had access to free golf. So we took advantage of that and played at least five-hundred rounds of golf together. That means collectively we spent over a year together in a golf cart, just the two of us.”
Garrett recalls some of the countless conversations he and Joe had throughout their time playing golf together. “We talked about everything,” he shares, “and most of the time, it wasn’t about golf. It was about life and pursuit, what we wanted to accomplish.”
As much as they were friends, and eventually brothers-in-law, when Joe married Garrett’s sister, Aimee, they were each other’s mentors. “Because of Joe, I learned what it meant to have a real relationship,” shares Garrett, “and what it meant to have connections with people. All you had to do was look at what Joe was doing and it was a teaching moment.”
For Joe, Garrett was the person who believed in him. “From a career standpoint, I think Joe just didn’t believe in himself all the time,” he says. “But I did. And I know that was something he cherished because he was able to accomplish things he never thought he’d be able to. He just needed someone to see what he was capable of.”
Joe’s Diagnosis
“The part that’s really difficult when you find out your best friend is diagnosed with a terminal illness, is that you go through a lot of grief while they’re still here, which is weird. When his diagnosis was confirmed, at that moment, I felt the depth of my emotions as if he was already gone.”
Unfortunately, Joe’s ambitions came to an abrupt halt when life, with its unpredictable twists and turns, dealt a devastating blow. In 2020, he was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a progressive neurodegenerative disease that robbed him of his strength and ultimately, his ability to play the game he and Garrett loved.
As ALS tightened its grip, Garrett watched helplessly as Joe's once-strong swing slowed, until the day came when the golf course could no longer bear witness to their shared adventures. The shared laughter. The endless rounds of competition.
Joe’s daughters, Isabella and Sienna, were just three and one at the time of their father’s diagnosis. When he passed away in January 2023, his girls were six and three. It was really important to Garrett that his girls got to remember Joe for who he was and not what they were witnessing during the years where their first long term memories are formed. From this fear, emerged the idea for Eterneva to eventually capture memories, pictures, videos and even your loved one’s voice that can be digitally accessed… His goal was for Isabella and Sienna to hear their dad’s voice on their birthdays or major milestones.
Honoring Joe’s Legacy
“He had this patience that I admired because I don’t have that. He had kindness, an unwavering moral compass; he always did the right thing. There’s no one on this planet who can say that Joe Maragoni wasn’t a standup guy.”
While grief is a universal and unique experience, it is also one of the greatest challenges we must overcome. And yet, there is no playbook for it. Being the co-founder of a company that has supported over 4,000 families in honoring their loved ones, Garrett knew he wanted to do something special for Joe, who also shared a remarkable connection with his daughter:
“My daughter, Everly, has an amazing connection with him. He went downhill as soon as she was born with Grade IV Glioblastoma (brain cancer). One thing that Joe held onto and gave him purpose toward the end was that he was giving up his strength for her to live.”
The decision to embed Joe's Diamond within a golf putter is both practical and poignant, a testament to the countless hours spent on the course, and all the life lessons they taught each other. For Garrett, this will be more than just a putter; it’s a tangible symbol of their friendship, and will give him the ability to have Joe with him for every round he plays. “Even to this day, if I have an amazing round of golf, I don’t have anyone to share that with,” he says. “Now, Joe’s still my partner on the golf course.”
Garrett describes the Diamond he has chosen for Joe, which is a rectangular radiant cut, and blue because it was Joe’s favorite color. The only decision he has yet to make is where their first round back out there will be together.
