Mark Andrew Birklid

Mark Andrew Birklid, along with his twin brother Tony, was born on September 2nd, 1961, in Renton to Dan and Carole Birklid. That day at the hospital, they were the first of two sets of twin boys born within minutes of each other, earning them a photo-op and article in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer the next day! They were the second set of twins born to Dan and Carole, completing the family.

Mark and his siblings, Danny Lee, Theresa, Tom, Ted, and Tony, all grew up in the Kent area. Mark graduated from Kentridge High School in 1980, where he participated in baseball and cross-country and earned the cutest dimples award in his senior year. After high school, he earned his AA in Forestry from Green River Community College. With this degree and his love of the outdoors, he got a job with the U.S. Forest Service and was based in North Bend at the ranger station. During his time with the Forest Service, he went out with crews who were replanting areas of Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, fought numerous forest fires around the country, and did presentations for the community about the work that the Forest Service was doing. He even did presentations at his children’s elementary school with his friend Tommy, where he dressed up as Smokey the Bear, teaching students about the importance of forest conservation, forest fires, and how to prevent them!

He settled in Covington, WA, where he raised two kids, Samantha and Jacob, whom he had with Darcy Bauer. He eventually left the Forest Service and got a job working as a door hanger at the Millwork Outlet in Maple Valley, WA, where he worked for many years before having to retire. Mark was a devoted father. He coached soccer teams, chaperoned field trips, and volunteered at school functions, including set building at the Kentlake High School Theater.

Mark had many hobbies, including playing horseshoes, gardening, hosting family BBQs, picking huckleberries, making pickles, foraging for mushrooms, and hunting. But, most of all, he LOVED fishing. His favorite way to spend a beautiful sunny day was out at his Uncle Jim’s pond in Black Diamond, WA, fishing for largemouth bass in his small aluminum boat. The day he died, April 16, 2025, he was doing just that. He was at his favorite place, heading out to do his favorite thing.

Mark is preceded in death by his mom, Carole, dad Danny, grandpa Ted, grandma Ruth, twin brother Tony, and brother-in-law Malo. He leaves behind his children, Samantha (Jake), Jacob, his sister Theresa, brothers Danny Lee (Teresa), Tom (Becky), Ted (Cindi), his Uncle Jim (Carol), and Aunt Kathy (Larry) and cousins as well as many nieces, nephews, and great-nieces and nephews.

Mark will be remembered for his love of fishing, his various catch phrases like “the odds are good but the goods are odd”, his love of the outdoors, his kind nature, and those dimples!

A joint celebration of life for Mark and his dad Danny will be held on Sunday, May 4th at 2pm at the South Seattle Saddle Club in Maple Valley, WA. 22740 SE 228th St, Maple Valley, WA 98038