In Memoriam: Mark Pierce

In Memoriam: Mark Pierce

Mark passed on Thursday, Feb 2, after a long and valiant battle…

Our dear brother and friend lived a great life and showed us all how to live courageously, free from shame and fear. Mark was truly a free spirit. At times, he tried to hide that behind the facade of being a high-grade, top-notch techie for county government, but we all quickly figured out that he had an inside track on how to live life. One thing though that I never figured out about Mark was whether he was being serious or joking. On numerous occasions he would drop a line with his wickedly dry sense of humor that would have me buckling over in laughter hours (even days) later when I realized he was joking.

And Mark sure did come to his yoga classes – a lot! He was a true regular, good for 4 or 5 classes a week, at nearly all of our locations: Chesapeake Beach on Mondays, St James on Tuesdays, Galesville on Wednesdays, Dunkirk on Fridays, and Galesville again on Saturdays. And, no doubt, Mark became quite adept at his practice. At first, he came alone – and then, as often as he was able, he came with one or more of his three charming daughters: Isabella (Izzie), Madison (Maddie), and Sophia (Sophie). It was always a joy to see them practice side by side.

When Mark was first diagnosed – a malignant growth behind his ear – he took it on as a real mission. He had his life which he was going to live, and then he had this disease which he openly talked about in a very matter-of-fact manner. It was extremely impressive to see the poise and calm with which he carried himself. Moreover, no matter what type of treatments he’d been given, and no matter how harsh the effects on his presentation, he refused to back down or be stigmatized. Mark charged bravely into class, set down his mat, and went after his practice.

Mark was well-loved by our yoga community, and he shall be greatly missed. Our deepest condolences to his immediate family, relatives, and friends. Thanks so much for sharing Mark with us. We greatly appreciated his friendship, camaraderie, joie de vivre, fortitude, and so much more. He certainly shined a light for us all to follow…

At the time of his passing, Mark was only 59 – gone far too soon.

An overflowing life celebration was held on Thursday, February 9th. Please find some of the photos from that event below.

For those who wish to reach out to the family:

Jennifer Pierce
(Isabella, Madison, and Sophia)
5322 Sweetwater Drive
West River, MD. 20778

Life Gallery

I communicated with Mark’s sister, Pam, who kindly shared with me a 250 photo slide-show they had put together that stands as a wonderful tapestry of Mark’s life. I chose a few to share with you here.

#1: Clearly Mark’s pride and joy…

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#2: I vividly recall when Mark got his bike (one made in India!!) and started commuting to work on it – and taking it for longer outings and multi-day tours etc, including (I believe) out to Sturgis, South Dakota for the great motorcycle rally.

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#3: I recall when Mark would go for his treatments and tests etc. I would often receive texts / photos from him striking a pose deep within inner workings of the hospital.

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#4: Even when things got tough, Mark stood strong, determined to live life to the fullest.

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#5: Here is Mark showing the world the great utility of a rock wall.

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#6: He loved traveling with his girls and showing them new places.

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#7: Those days when life was so simple and joyous.

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#8: A man at peace with himself and the world….