Mark T. Cavanaugh

Born September 7, 1967 to Tom and Jo Cavanaugh in Chicago, IL. In 1968 Mark had the best day of his life when he got his baby sister, Julie. Mark grew up in Chicago, IL and Cleveland, TN. The family moved to Indianapolis while Mark was in grade school. Mark graduated from Cathedral High School in 1985. After graduation, he joined the United States Marine Corps and traveled the world. Hoo rah! Mark graduated from IUPUI. Mark was a doctor of mixology at various bars around Indy. Mark’s life was enriched by the addition of his two daughters Faith and Olivia. One is obviously the favorite. Olivia’s husband was added to the family and Mark was very proud to call Juanyel Holmes his Italian son. Olivia and Juanyel gave Mark two beautiful granddaughters, Kailyn and Layla, and the honorary title of Grumpa. Mark was Uncle Extraordinaire to Noah, Leah, Daniel and Eli, who have been regaled with Uncle Mark stories their entire lives. Every story ended with “Don’t do what Mark did!” Mark met his future fiancée, the love of his life, Michelle Sirum, in April 2013. Michelle, “Peanut,” is the perfect woman for him. She saw past his potty mouth and saw the heart of gold. She made him into a better man. Peanut loved him, and he loved Peanut.

Mark’s hobbies include hunting, traveling, losing at Pinochle to Julie, sleeping, martial arts, making others laugh, cooking enormous amounts of food, starting random arguments on Facebook about things he didn’t care about, pooping, being the second favorite child, and sending an enormous number of random .gifs to the family group chat. You would be surprised to know how many different llama .gifs there are.

He was a son, a brother, a father, a grumpa, a fiancé, an uncle, a Marine, and a friend. He was a fiercely loyal man. His family came first. He was a protector and a safe haven for all. He had an irreverent wit and a heart of gold. He is missed more than words can ever say.

Mark’s favorite food was chocolate covered chocolate donuts dipped in chocolate pudding with a side of chocolate milk. In memory of Mark, everyone should indulge in chocolate. Remember him. Laugh with us...

Visitation for Mark will be from 2:00 - 7:00pm on Thursday, December 13th at Leppert Mortuary - Nora Chapel. A Memorial Mass will begin at 10:00 am on Friday, December 14th at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church.