Mark Edwin Bender (71), of Newport, WA, died on April 25th, 2023. Mark was born on January 11th, 1952 in Memphis TN to Lynn LeRoy and Mary Bender (predeceased). He is survived by his father, his siblings Marilyn Large (James), Gary Bender (Susan), and Rita Garcia (Victor), his two children, Willow Fodor (Luke) and Esther Gravis (Charlie) and his four grandsons Aidan, Kieran, Calvin and Ethan.

Mark's passions for music and the outdoors were cultivated during his childhood. Mark sang with his mother and siblings, listened to his father play the mandolin at night, and learned to play trumpet and piano. Later in life, he would also play the mandolin.

Mark participated in Boy Scouts with his father as troop leader. He and his brother Gary took frequent camping trips with their dad and had many stories to tell of those adventures.

He attended Forest Tech School in Susanville CA. He worked for the USFS from 1971 to 2007. During his time as a Forest Technician, he had many duties. His most memorable experiences were working with the helicopters during fire-fighting season and taking care of a Western White Pine seed orchard on the Priest River Experimental Forest.

He met Debra "Scone" in Oregon. Together, he and Scone moved to Washington to fulfill their dream of living off the land. With the help of his brother and father, Mark built a cabin on the edge of their thickly timbered property. Mark and Scone raised their two children as well as numerous animals and large gardens.

Mark was always looking for ways to help others. He and Scone were active in their church giving both time and musical talent. He especially enjoyed assisting with distributions from Second Harvest. Mark found many ways to be involved in community theater and the arts. His joy and kindness were contagious and will be remembered by all who knew him.

A memorial service will be held on July 25th at 11am at American Lutheran Church in Newport, WA.