Mark Jeffries

Mark arrived into this world at Akron, Ohio's St. Thomas Hospital on December 20, 1947, the second of five children (4 sons and a daughter) born to William H. Sr. and Joyce (Weiss) Jeffries of Akron, Kent, Cuyahoga Falls and later, of Ravenna, Ohio.

Mark's siblings all survive him and share in the loss of their dear brother. They include William H. Jeffries Jr. (Peggy) of Senecaville, Ohio, Martin of Harriman, Tennessee, Laurel (Taylor) of Kilmarnock, Virginia, and Jon M. (Lucy) Jeffries of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

Mark was a proud and patriotic member of a military-oriented family, and following his graduation from Cuyahoga Falls (Ohio) High School with the Class of 1965, he did as all 3 of the elder brothers would eventually do, and enlisted, as had their maternal grandfather before them (WW I), into The United States Marine Corps.

Each of the three brothers earned their Private First Class stripe during boot camp, and all followed in their own father's example of advancing quickly through the ranks, Mark achieving the rank of Sergeant during just a three-year hitch.

Following their military service during The War in Vietnam, Mark and younger brother Marty made the decision to head west to Arizona together in order to pursue their higher educations, where Mark became the first in his family to earn his Bachelor's degree from Arizona State University.

Mark made the decision to continue to serve his country and his fellow citizens by commencing a career of more than 30 years with The U.S. Customs Service as an import specialist, uncovering many attempted frauds and earning a virtual trove of commendations and awards that are far too numerous to delve into here.

Mark also held positions in the private sector, most notably at Litton Corporation in Southern California. During his time in southern and central California, Mark added a Masters Degree to his list of accomplishments.

Although Mark was a bachelor for his entire life, he remained always the sibling, uncle or great-uncle, cousin, nephew or friend who would never forget your birthday or a special occasion. He clung fiercely to the "old-fashioned" and seemingly vanishing art of letter-writing. Although receiving a letter from a family member is usually a welcome surprise to adults, it is a very special thing indeed for a small child to realize that someone cares enough about them to take the time to remember them on their special day, and that additionally, they were willing to take the time to sit down and to write a short letter to them personally. This is doubtless at the core of why two of his grand-nieces, now ages 6 and 9, were eager to color and fashion special hats with "Uncle Mark" for all of us to wear before our family Thanksgiving Dinner together in 2021, and why, when they learned that they were going to be left at home and in school while the rest of the family went to "Uncle Mark's" funeral back into Ohio, they cried to come and to say goodbye to him. This is the case with countless other friends and family members as well, so Mark's passing will leave a huge hole indeed in the lives of all of those who knew and loved him.

This will be Mark's lasting legacy, that he will live on in the hearts and memories of the host of nieces, nephews, step-nieces and nephews, and even into the grand nieces and nephews, and those memories will endure for decades and decades, and how many of us will be able to say something that like that at the time of our own passing ? - Rest in Peace, dear Mark.

A small memorial service for family and friends will be held at Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery, located at 10175 Rawiga Road in Seville, Ohio at 1:45 pm, on Monday, November 6, 2023, with a post-wake luncheon following at 2:30 pm at The Galaxy Restaurant, located in nearby Wadsworth at 201 Park Center Drive.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.neptunesociety.com/location/cleveland-cremation for the Jeffries family.