Mark A. Molenaar

Mark Allan Molenaar of Gurnee, IL passed away December 6, 2019 at Highland Park Hospital. Mark was born November 26, 1958 to Virginia Sorenson Molenaar and Allan John Molenaar in Willmar, MN. There he grew up on the family farm the third of four siblings. Mark paid for his college education by growing tomatoes and pumpkins on the farm to sell to local businesses, such as restaurants, grocery stores and even prisons with his younger brother Paul. He loved the family dogs, especially a Dalmatian named Tasha.

Mark was a firm believer that living a full life and having a successful career hinged on the pursuit of higher education. He achieved a Bachelor of Science in Astrophysics, a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering, and a Master's in Business Administration Marketing at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN. Even after achieving those degrees, he continued to audit classes at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL studying Classic Literature and History just for fun. He encouraged his 9 nieces and nephews to pursue higher education by giving books to them for Christmas and by attending every single one of their graduation ceremonies from high school and beyond with the exception of only one when he had pneumonia. Mark donated regularly to the University of Minnesota, and invested in Minnesota school bonds, as his way of continuing to support higher education in his home state.

Mark began his career at Motorola in 1984 and continued working for them until 1999. His time at Motorola began in Arizona, then moved to Minnesota and finally settled in Illinois, when he moved to Gurnee, IL. Mark continued his career in semiconductor sales, working for various companies, including Samsung, ST Microelectronics, Bosch, and Intersil/Renesas, ending in 2019.

As a young adult, Mark travelled to Europe a few times and caught the travel bug. In his lifetime he went to Europe over 80 times. During the thirteen years that he worked at ST, he would often need to travel to Europe for a business meeting and would then stay for the weekend before and/or after to explore. Therefore, he often said that he travelled to Europe one weekend at a time. During his travels to Europe, Mark not only visited every nook and cranny recommended by his Michelin Guide, he also discovered that pairing wine from the region where the food was grown, cooked and served was the only way to truly enjoy a meal. He began researching wine and going on wine tasting tours of different regions across Europe and in America. He especially enjoyed focusing on the wines of the Central Coast in California. He also pursued the art of cooking by trying recipes to pair with the wine he collected. His interest in cooking and wine grew over the years and in the end he had a basement filled with an incredible treasure chest of superior wines, aged to perfection, as well as a library of cookbooks from every European region that produced wine. Since he liked to study traditions, he often cooked his four-course meals, each course paired with perfectly aged wine, from a region while it was honoring a certain Saint’s Day, which gave added inspiration to the dinner event.

Mark did not meet his life partner until what some would consider late in life. He met Susan in May of 2015. They found that not only did they have a lot in common, felt a romantic spark, but they connected on a deeper level and became best friends. Mark did not waste time once he knew he found someone special, he invited her to come meet his family over the July 4th holiday weekend and it was there while meeting his family when Susan realized that he was her person. They were engaged in September and married the following summer on July 2, 2016. Many who came to the wedding claimed that it was the best wedding they had ever attended. Mark was a wonderful, caring, thoughtful husband and the marriage was richly filled with love, understanding and compassion.

Mark was extremely close to his family and wanted nothing more than to move back to Minnesota to live closer to them. He drove the six to eight hour drive each way from Gurnee, IL to visit them at their various locations in Minnesota numerous times per year, never missing a holiday or family event whenever possible. He spoke to and about his family often because he held them all in very high esteem and loved them from the bottom of his heart.

Mark was very methodical in researching new activities, ideas and viewpoints before forming an opinion. However, once the opinion was formed, he lived by it wholeheartedly. This attribute translated to his choice in friendships. Once you became his friend, he remained your friend for life. Mark had many strong relationships with dearly beloved friends who were as close as family members to him. Many of those friendships dated back as far as Junior High, College, and his first job at Motorola in 1984. Those friendships held fast, withstanding the test of time and distance throughout his life.

He also enjoyed sports, especially baseball, tennis, and golf. He enjoyed fishing and boating as often as he had the opportunity. Later in life, he also picked up oil painting. He attended a weekly painting class through the local park district for many years and most of his friends and family members have at least one of his paintings proudly hanging in their homes.

Mark will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered by his surviving wife: Susan Mary MacPhail of Gurnee, IL; his 3 siblings: Helen Neudecker (Michael) of Little Falls, MN, Jean Cochran (James) of Lakeville, MN, and Paul Molenaar (Shirley) of Willmar, MN; 9 grandnieces and nephews: Maggie (Dusty) and Ashley (Michael) Neudecker, Erin and Ryan Cochran, and Rachael, Rebecca (Kevin), Rosemary, Thomas, and Theresa Molenaar; 4 great grandnieces and nephews: Cora and Natalie Brausen; Lydia and Felix Wilson; 3 Stepdaughters: Christin (Josh) Schild, Jaqueline (Dan) Jacobs and Rosemary Marszalek; 4 Step grandchildren: Caleb, Maggie, and Jax Malloy-Schild; Ezra Fox: His Brother-In-Law: Steve MacPhail; 3 step grandnieces: Kailyn (Jeremy) Strametz, Brynne MacPhail, Taryne (Eulices) Gomez: 2 Step Great grandnieces and nephews: Emma and Elijah Strametz; extended family members such as cousin-in-laws, as well as many new and long-time friends