Mark John Webber passed away peacefully and surrounded by family on December 23, 2021. Mark was born in Minneapolis, MN on April 7, 1955 to Rosemary and John “Jack” Webber. He grew up in St. Louis Park, where he attended Catholic elementary school, and St. Louis Park High School. Mark joined the Navy after high school in 1976, and served on the USS Constellation. He served on a West Pac tour, and through the Navy, Mark saw the world including Hawaii, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Hong Kong, and the Philippines.
Mark’s son Mark was born on July 19, 1980. Mark met his wife Carolyn in 1984 while they were both working at the Veteran’s Home. They lived together in Minneapolis with son Jeremy. Mark and Carolyn’s daughter Sarah was born on December 4, 1986. Their daughter Mary was born on October 22, 1993. Mark and Carolyn were married on June 23, 1995 and were together for 37 years. They eventually settled in Coon Rapids, MN where they raised Sarah and Mary.
Mark worked many different jobs during his lifetime, but some of his favorites to mention were a line cook at the Anchor Inn during his teens, and a jelly bean polisher. Mark worked at Progress Castings for over 20 years. He poured molten metal and made castings for Boeing airplanes, Harley Davidson motorcycles, and Rolls Royce cars. After many years of hard work, Mark was promoted to a supervisor. He retired from foundry work in 2011 after he was diagnosed with Stage 4 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Mark was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in December 2010. Though Mark had an aggressive, rare, and incurable blood cancer, he never gave up his fight. Mark began chemotherapy in 2011, and started dialysis in 2013 which he remained on for the rest of his life. Mark had a stem-cell transplant at the Mayo Clinic in 2015. Throughout his many treatments he never became pessimistic, kept his sense of humor and was always looking forward to the next big event. Even though at times he could be cantankerous, he always had a strong will to live and to see his grand-children grow up as he loved them very much.
Mark was treated by numerous doctors, nurses, and medical professionals throughout his battle with cancer. The Webber family extends our deepest gratitude to everyone who provided him with care. Thank you especially to his oncologist Dr. Gauri Nagaroje, his nephrologist Dr. George Canus, Dr. Prashant Kapoor who oversaw his stem-cell transplant, and his palliative care doctor Dr. John Lynch. Mark did not just consider you excellent providers, but also very supportive and close friends.
Mark was not a man without faults, and he struggled with addiction throughout his adult life. Mark became sober on July 15, 1992. He proudly maintained his sobriety through the rest of his life, and he was sober for 29 years.
Mark loved to “go up North,” and go fishing. He was a lifelong fan of the Minnesota Vikings and attended games at the Met, the Metrodome, TCF Bank Stadium, and US Bank Stadium. He got his first tattoo at 40, and didn’t stop until he was medically advised to. He had a sleeve dedicated to the Minnesota Vikings, a sleeve of his favorite animals birds of prey, and tattoo portraits of his four heroes Janice, Jimi, Jerry, and John, and too many more tattoos to name. He attended the Minnesota State Fair every year, and would always start his day there with a footlong hot dog around 7am, and would want to stay until the lights came on at night. He loved attending Sarah’s volleyball tournaments. Mark was a dancing dad at Debra Miller’s World of Dance where he competed in dance competitions with Mary. He loved to listen to Metallica at full volume when driving his Dodge Challenger, and reminiscing about seeing Jimi Hendrix was he was 15 years old. He attended many rock concerts, including taking Sarah to see the Rolling Stones when she was nine years old. He was an avid reader, and enjoyed going to the bookstore to continue to fill his shelves. Mark loved Batman, Superman, and watching classic shows from his childhood on TV. His best friend was his beloved dog Sam whom he never left out when he ordered from Arby’s. Before he passed, he had taken back up his childhood hobby of building and painting Universal Monster models.
Mark was preceded in death by his parents John "Jack" and Rosemary Webber. He is survived by his wife Carolyn; sisters Susan and Nancy; children Jeremy, Mark, Sarah, and Mary; those who Mark who considered Mark “Dad” Caitlyn and Deljon; and grand-children Jasper, Felix, Isaac, Bodhi, Forest, Poet, Prairie Moon, Bailey, and Avery.
Mark’s memorial service will take place at 11:30am on Thursday, June 23, 2022 at Sunset Funeral Home in Minneapolis, MN. Mark will buried at Fort Snelling National Cemetery following the service.
In lieu of traditional memorials, the family will be donating a bench to the Minnesota State Fair in Mark’s honor and memory. If you would like to contribute, please follow this link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/a-bench-for-mark
We leave you with the chorus to Mark’s favorite song, “Enter Sandman” by Metallica:
“Exit light
Enter night
Grain of sand
Exit light
Enter night
Take my hand
We're off to never-never land”
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