his wife, children and grandchildren on February 10, 2023 at the age of 83.
Mark was born in 1939, to Anna and Ercel Windland in Parkersburg, WV. He joined the U.S. Army at age of 17 and served for 20 years, earning, among other numerous awards and decorations, the Expert Infantry Badge (EIB) and the Bronze Star. Mark served his country honorably and faithfully in Vietnam from 1971-1972. Upon his retirement from military service in 1976, he found employment in private industry at Ft. Belvoir, VA where he was able to apply his training and skills in the cartographic/photogrammetric field. After another successful career in civilian life, Mark retired in 1999, and a few years later, moved to Melbourne, FL to fully embrace retirement with his wife, Barbara Windland. During this time, Mark & Barb split their time between Florida during the winter months and Canaan Valley, WV during the summer months in order to stay close and connected to his roots. Each home provided a vacation spot for not only his children, but a place to make special memories with his grandchildren without Mom and Dad. Mark eventually ended up in Round Rock, TX in 2017 to share in the upbringing of the last of his young grandchildren as he had done previously with each of his eldest children.
Mark loved life and enjoyed new challenges. He always stayed physically active and maintained a healthy lifestyle with the occasional Manhattan or martini during “happy hour”. Early in his life he was an avid tennis player and loved to bowl. He loved to take his children on outdoor adventures boating, catching fish and crabs, as well as camping and enjoying nature to the fullest. He took-up golf in his 40s and also learned to ski. At age 50, he obtained his black belt in Tai Kwon Do, and at age 70 he ran his first full marathon! Besides an active lifestyle, Mark loved to cook his favorite dishes for his family including Spanish Pork Chops, Eggs Benedict, carrot soup, Christmas cookies, and many other masterpieces. He loved his Oldies music, especially Elvis, but expanded his audio tastes to embrace a little bit of hard rock and a lot of country. Always the tinkerer and the thinker, he had unlimited interests, and you never quite knew what he would be up to the next time you talked to him – learning to play saxophone or picking-up a new language. He even started CrossFit in his early 80s. He also never missed an opportunity to dabble in the hobbies and interests of his children and grandchildren, but was always sure to pass-on what he enjoyed most, seeking to teach and nurture whether or not the sport or hobby stuck. It was the underlying life lessons that he imparted during that time, which were most important for him to share.
Mark is preceded in death by his eldest brother William (Bill) Windland, and his sister Barbara Williams. He is survived by his wife, Barbara Windland, his six children and their spouses, 12 grandchildren, 18 great grandchildren, his older brother Dan Windland, his sister Loretta Shalosky.
The family will welcome friends Wednesday, February 22, 2023 from 5pm-7pm at Cook-Walden Davis Funeral Home, 2900 Williams Dr. Georgetown, TX 78628. A Funeral Mass will be held at St. John Vianney Catholic Church, 3201 Sunrise Rd. Round Rock, TX 78665 on Thursday, February 23, 2023 at 10am. Burial to follow at Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery in Killeen.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Jude children’s Research Hospital in memory of Mark Frederick Windland – www.stjude.org.”
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.cookwaldendavisfuneralhome.com for the Windland family.
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