Mark was born on July 2, 1955 to Carl and Rita Jean Salyer. He was remembered by Dr. Mary in her old age as the longest baby she ever delivered at Grady Memorial Hospital in Delaware, Ohio. His younger years were spent living on “the farm” next to Aunt Louise Seeger .He was surrounded by family and friends in Waldo. It was there that he learned about community spirit, neighborly compassion and the importance of family. He attended Waldo School and Peace Community Church.  Mark was everyone’s friend and those friendships continued throughout his lifetime.

Mark attended River Valley High School and graduated in 1973. He maintained many long-term relationships from those years and always looked forward to going back to rekindle those relationships. He loved the comradery of playing softball and bowling in the years after High School. He admired and was admired by all he befriended.

I met Mark, my soul mate, in the summer of 1976 while on vacation in Ft Lauderdale, Florida. We became pen pals and shared our deepest thoughts in letters that he saved to this day. I met Mark again in 1978 and we were married in St Mary’s Church in November 1980.

We settled in Marion, Ohio with dreams to one day live in Florida, our favorite vacation spot. Mark encouraged my education and supported my calling to the nursing profession, while he worked tirelessly at Whirlpool and sometimes tended bar at the Village Tavern in Waldo.  Our dream to move to Florida was coming to fruition and we were ready to move on to the next chapter of our lives together. In 1989 we were living in “Paradise”. In 1990 we had our dream home with a pool and a big side yard. Our hard work and dedication to our goal had become a reality. And we cherished the times we had with many visitors from the North.

We had a good life together and many wonderful travels. Mark’s favorite trips were to visit family, to be a part of the family. He embraced the family life through others and was comfortable being embraced. Most importantly, he yearned to have a family of his own.

 In this new chapter of life, a spiritual side of Mark emerged. Through the grace of God our prayers were answered, and in June of 1996 we were blessed with the birth of our twin boys, Thomas and Andrew. Being enthralled with this blessing, Mark studied the Catholic faith under the direction of a Cardington, Ohio Priest, Father Fowler. On the day of our children’s baptism, Mark too was baptized in faith at St Andrew’s Church in Cape Coral, Florida. Mark never missed a Sunday Mass and frequently started his day at daily Mass, always thanking the Lord for his blessings and asking the Lord to bless others.

Mark was the proudest dad there ever was as he pushed a double stroller thru the Mall, threw baseballs in the back yard and bandaged scraped knees. He always had a grin from ear to ear and a sparkle in his eyes, giving kind words of encouragement. As the boys grew, Mark was there at every baseball and soccer game cheering them on and motivating their spirit. He was always there at elementary, middle school, and high school events. He was so proud when the boys earned their first varsity letters for Cross Country that he had their letter jackets ordered beforehand. He knew their abilities, strengths and he made an effort to know their hearts.  As proud as he was for our children’s sporting accomplishments, he was also very proud and active in their academic accomplishments. Mark spent countless hours involved in the boys’ education and forming relationships with their educators. He even bought Rosetta Stone Spanish CD’s to learn Spanish alongside the boys. We often teased him for his constant need and want to be involved in every part of their lives. If they would have allowed him to participate as a student in the classroom, he would have been there too.

Every summer, on the weekend after school ended, Mark would pack the boys up for a road trip to Ohio for a summer long visit with Grandma, Grandpa and Uncle Chris. Just as he did when he was young, they would spend countless hours throwing baseballs in Grandma’s back yard, making frequent trips to the Waldo Dairy Bar and eating at the G&R.  I would follow weeks later and we would then begin our family vacation to the Highland Games in Elyria then on to Put-In-Bay, Niagara Falls and catch a Cleveland Indians game or two along the way.  Sometimes we would stop in New York or New Jersey to visit family on our way south. Nearly every Thanksgiving we spent at the Macy’s Parade in New York followed by dinner at my brother Larry’s house, surrounded by family. There were trips out west to visit family, to attend weddings and to go on cruises. Mark loved to extend himself, to watch the family grow, and he saved every trinket that was given to him throughout the years.

He encouraged my career growth and enabled me to frequently make out-of-town business trips or do late night work while he kept the homestead running. He was always there to foster our growth and love us unconditionally. Several times a year we vacationed like it was our last vacation, always including our northern families as a stop along the way, even if they were out of the way.

Mark walked the neighborhood every night for the past 22 years and in doing so he connected with many neighbors and friends by lending a helping hand or a sympathetic ear. He always looked forward to those walks and the people he may meet along the way. His neighborly visits were always confidential, as I learned after his passing from the numerous stories from those he touched. Every other week Mark would go to the local blood bank where he regarded the technicians and other donors as friends. He was very proud to give life through his donations and in giving more than 25 gallons of blood, he never boasted about his accomplishments. He would say “it’s just the right thing to do!” He always did whatever he thought was the right thing.

Along with his friend Joe, Mark had recently finished a yearlong construction project on our house. They built an addition called “the Man Cave,” a place where Mark and the boys along with all the neighborhood kids could come and play pool, play games and watch games on the big screen: a safe place for all the neighborhood children that we have grown to love and a place where we would continue to make new memories of the teenage and college years with our children. Mark’s picture now resides in the “Man Cave” as big as life, and we feel his presence with everlasting love.

Husband, Father, Son, Brother, Uncle and Friend. He was always there!  Thomas and Andrew sat down and wrote a poem to be placed on Mark’s head stone. It reads:

Looking back with memories upon the path he trod;

Devoted to our family with the love he shared with God

His big smile and passionate ways with love forever true

Will be with us our life time and in everything we do.

Content at home and always there to meet us at the door

Our memories of no finer Dad will live forever and more.