Age at Death: 29
Cause of Death: Cardiac Temponade
Classmate City: College Station
Classmate State: TX
Classmate Country: USA
Survived By: Wife Becky and sons Kyle (now 18) and Kody (now 15); as well as brother Terry (Class of '92) and sister Melissa.

Entry provided by Sam Kille: 

Many people may remember Mark as being very active and daring as a teen, always on a bike or skateboard trying new tricks. What many people may have never known, was that he was born with a congenital heart defect which might've slowed a lot of people down. He remained physically active as an adult and according to his brother Terry, was bench pressing up to 335 pounds before his untimely death -- which happened to occur while doing squats at his local gym. Apparently, his aorta ruptured and fluid crushed his heart. Before this, Mark had been living in College Station, Texas, where he drove an 18-wheeler, as a private contractor for Allied Moving and was the driver for Texas A&M's "Fightin' Texan Aggie Band. He was knicknamed the "Iron Man" after once driving straight through to San Diego to get the band's equipment there on time for a big game. According to Terry, quite a few members of the loading crew showed at his funeral and gave him their varsity pins.

While his heart had its physical limitations, Mark had one of the biggest hearts of anyone I've ever known. He and I had been great friends, and in many ways were like brothers. He was never cruel or vindictive. He always put others first. And unlike many of us in our "wild teens" he never needed things like alcohol to have a great time -- he enjoyed life. Sadly, as so often happens in life, we drifted apart through the years. I think the last time I saw him was in 1998 and we spoke only a few times on the phone before his death. If it hadn't been for his brother finding me online, I would never have known that he was gone -- I wish we could have him back! Rest in peace Mark.