If anyone missed the service, here is an audio recording that a friend happened to catch. You’ll need to turn the volume all the way up and listen in a quiet environment!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v…

We had the privilege of having an outdoor journalist from Grand Marais get in contact with us and drive down to learn more about Mark. He just published the article and it is very well done.

Please share with family and friends as it gives information a lot more about my dad in general, in addition to some more clues we have.

https://paddleandportage.com/…

5/15/24:
We have set a date for Mark's service for Saturday May 25th at The Beach House on Park Point in Duluth at 11:30am. Please dress adequately for an outdoor service. You should be seeing an official Obituary posted to the Duluth News Tribune for this upcoming Saturday.

If you knew Mark personally and have any stories, memories, photos, etc, our family would be extremely appreciative of you taking the time to share with us. We set up an e-mail account specifically for this purpose. Please send us a message on this website if you would like the e-mail address.

Thank you from all of Mark's family

EDITED/UPDATED 4/12/24: The US Forest Service reached out to us and assured us that the seaplane ride is at no cost to us. We wanted to update you and let you know that any funds raised will be going towards all memorial costs, transport, cremation, and we will discuss with my mom how she would best like to use the remaining funds. If she doesn’t have immediate financial needs, funds will go towards the BWCA fund to preserve this important park and honor my dad’s memory.

We also want to mention that this has hit the news and how they are portraying it is inaccurate. It is shameful how the media is using this situation and my dad as a scapegoat to remind people to wear their life jackets. The details they have provided are inaccurate. We will not have a final coroner’s report for more than a month, but what we do know points to him having some sort of accident that led to lack of consciousness and then slipping into the water. My dad always had his life vest on when in the canoe. It is CRUCIAL for people to realize this was a freak accident, of NO fault of my dad’s, and it could happen to anyone. It’s easy readers to look for reasons that place blame on my dad so as to distance themselves and quickly jump to the conclusion that this would never happen to the reader. We fear that people will simply read the news article and assume “it only happened because he was negligent and didn’t have his life vest on.” From how he was found, it was clear he was not yet in his canoe when the incident occured.