Mark Kershaw

Mark Kershaw was a man who could find the humor in anything. He was a fun-loving, funny man, who didn’t just walk through life, he danced through his days. He lived a long and full life, a life full of family and fond memories. Mark was a loving husband, father, grandfather and friend, a man who made us laugh, and whose memory makes us smile yet today.

Mark’s story began on a cold winter day in 1918, in the little town of Plainwell, Michigan. Those were times of trial and triumph, which saw the defeat of the Germans and their allies, and the end of World War I, which brought so much hardship to so many. On February 6, 1918, Clyde and Grace (Pierce) Kershaw celebrated the birth of a baby boy, a son they named Mark Albert.

Mark was the third of four children on the family homestead, located on Miller Road in Plainwell. He joined his big brothers, Carl and Basil, and his little sister, Thelma, on the family’s farm, and all the kids had their fair share of work to do growing up.

Mark attended a little country school in Plainwell through the seventh grade, when he quit so he could work on the farm full-time, as was so common in those days. After World War II he got a job welding at Ingersoll Steel, helping make tanks for the Army.

Mark was far from all work and no play, however. He always knew how to have a good time, and especially loved to dance. He was very good, too, and even danced in one competition. One night he was at a dance at the Otsego Masonic Temple, when he spotted a beautiful young woman named Vera Black. It was love at first sight for the two of them, and after dancing the night away, they quickly fell in love.

The happy couple dated for awhile, before getting married on January 15, 1943, the start of a beautiful, 65-year life together. They were a wonderful couple, and loved each other’s company, and loved doing so many things together. They enjoyed playing cards and they were both on bowling leagues. Mark especially enjoyed working on cars and motorcycles. He and Vera loved hopping on the motorcycle and heading off somewhere together, a hobby they both enjoyed for many years.

It wasn’t long before the newlyweds became a family. Before they knew it, they were the proud parents of five beautiful girls, June, Linda, Sandy, Judy and Susan, who made them so happy.

Mark was a wonderful dad, who enjoyed teaching his daughters how to ride motor cycles and water ski. He was always asking one of the girls for help in his garage when he was working on cars. He was also involved with the 4-H Club softball teams.

They did much as a family, especially boating in the summertime. Every weekend they’d hitch up the boat and go swimming and skiing, usually on Pine Lake in Plainwell. They also went camping often, and always brought the boat along. Some years the family would take the boat and head up to the Hardy Dam for a color tour.

Mark was also a hardworking provider for his family, and for several years worked as a truck driver for Marvane Oil Company. In 1965, Mark was asked to come and work for the newly formed City of Portage as a mechanic, where he continued to work until he retired in 1981.

Mark was a masterful mechanic and jack-of-all-trades. He was the guy everyone called when they had mechanical problems with their cars, motorcycles, or bicycles. He could fix just about anything.

In his spare time, if Mark wasn’t working on a car or motor cycle, he enjoyed riding motor cycles. He and Vera would sometimes load up and head up north for a weekend trip and once all the way up to Irons where they had a cabin. He was still looking in the classified ads for a new motor cycle to buy, even the week before he died, saying that he could probably still ride!

Mark and Vera also would go to Grayling or Irons every year to go deer hunting. They would either stay in a tent or a camper with friends and family.

Mark loved his boats, as well. He loved them so much, in fact, that he carried pictures of the last two ski boats he owned, but no pictures of his wife and family.

After Mark retired in 1981, he and Vera sold the family home that they had lived in for 32 years on Alice Avenue in Portage, Michigan and moved to their lake home on Wilkinson Lake in Delton, where they lived for the next 20 years. Mark and Vera enjoyed fishing and were on the lake almost daily in the summer. In the winter they would have the entire family come out to the lake to ice skate and ice fish.

In 2001 they sold their lake home and moved back to Portage. They spent winters in their winter home in Zephyrhills, Florida for the past 12 years, where they were living at the time of Mark’s death. Vera is currently living in their Portage home.

Mark had plenty to keep him busy in his retirement, working in his garage at the lake on cars, motor cycles, bicycles and lawn mowers. He collected scale model cars and while in Florida enjoyed shooting pool with the guys in the clubhouse.

One of the proudest days of his life came in January 2008, when he and Vera were able to stand up in church for their 65th Wedding Anniversary and say that all five of their daughters were present. Two daughters were already living in Florida, when the other three flew in to surprise them and help them celebrate their anniversary with an open house, which was attended by 85 friends and relatives.

Everyone who knew Mark knew he had a monumental sweet tooth, and was a confessed chocoholic whose favorite food was Brach’s chocolate stars. When the girls were young, they would visit their uncle’s house in Plainwell and on the way home would always stop at Dean’s Ice Cream, and always claim he was stopping “For The Girls”!

Mark and Vera were avid church goers, attending Faith Reformed Church in Portage and Victory Baptist Church in Zephyrhills.

Most of all, Mark loved spending time with his wife, his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, who always brightened his days. He was such a fun person, who loved to laugh with the kids and was always telling jokes.

Eventually though, the years caught up with Mark, and his health began to decline. Sadly, he died on Friday, March 21, 2008, at Hernando Pasco Hospice in Dade City, Florida. He was 90 years old.

Mark was a wonderful man, who lived a long and wonderful life, a life so full of family and fond memories, full of love and laughter. He was such a friendly, fun-loving man, who loved cars and motor cycles, family and friends. Mark was a loving husband, father, grandfather and friend, but most of all, he was simply a gift to all who knew him. He will be greatly missed.

Visit with Mark’s family on Thursday from 2:00 to 4:00 and 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Life Story Funeral Homes, 120 S Woodhams, Plainwell, where a funeral service will be held on Friday 11:00 a.m. Mark’s family includes his wife Vera, his daughters June Kershaw, Linda (John) Blowers, Sandy Drobny, Judy Bunker and Susan (Al) Kuras, 11 grandchildren, 6 step grandchildren, 34 great grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. Please visit Mark’s memory page at www.lifestorynet.com where you can share a favorite memory or photo, or sign his memory book online.