Mark, Richard C. (1933-2006)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 2006 Nov 27 p. 8

Birth date: 1933 Jun 21

RICHARD C. MARK

Richard C. Mark, 73, of Elkhart, Ind., died Oct. 1, 2006. He was born June 21, 1933, to Albert and Vivian Mark in Appleton, Wis.

He married his college sweetheart, Ruth Litwiller, on July 2, 1955, in Hopedale, Ill.

He was a graduate of Goshen College in 1954 and Northwestern University School of Dentistry in 1958.

After dental school, he served as a missionary dentist in Puerto Rico for two years. He and his wife, Ruth, then moved to Elkhart, where he practiced general dentistry for 36 years, retiring in December 1997. In 1986, he and Ruth established the not-for-profit agency Adoption Resource Services Inc., which has placed more than 300 children.

He was a man with an insatiable appetite for learning. Among his favorite pastimes, most of which were self-taught, were home repair and remodeling, automotive repair and restoration, being a graduate of the Master Gardener Program of Purdue University, airplane pilot, camping and traveling, kayaking, downhill skiing, photography, cooking, tropical aquarium keeping, beekeeping, co-instructor of TV repair at the Elkhart Area Career Center, woodworking, candlemaking and computer programming.

All of these hobbies were enhanced when doing them with any or all of his four boys.

He was involved in multiple social and professional organizations, including being a Boy Scout Master of Troop 10, in Rotary Club and the Elkhart Dental Society.

He was active in the Mennonite church since high school as Sunday school teacher, Bible school teacher, Sunday school superintendent and most recently, a member of College Mennonite Church.

Survivors include his wife, Ruth; four sons, Jeff Mark of Elkhart, Wesley Mark and his wife, Mary Harder, of South Bend, Wayne Mark and his wife, Jane, of Elkhart, and James Mark and his wife, Audra, of Elkhart; a brother, George Mark of Elkhart; and six grandchildren.