Mark Timothy Newton

Mark Timothy Newton, age 48, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, February 17th, 2015. Mark was born on November 16th, 1966 in Salem, Oregon. After spending his early years there and in Fresno, California, he moved with his family to Whatcom County, Washington. At Meridian High School, with his predatory instinct for making tackles and his chipped-up helmet telling the tale of each tough hit, Mark “The Land Shark” soon became one of the most feared and respected linebackers in the county and across the state. After finishing high school Mark started work as a repair mechanic and painter for Struckman’s Auto Body. When he became interested in heavy construction, he submitted a job application that listed his one relevant skill as, “I can run the shit out of a shovel.” Building on his experience at that first shovel-running job, he set his sights on Tiger Construction. He earned a job there  by bringing his own sledgehammer to a work site every day and refusing to leave until they gave him something to do. After many years at Tiger, he worked his way up to Heavy Equipment Operator/Supervisor/Project Manager for Knick Construction. Mark spent each construction season up in Alaska building roads, aircraft runways, harbor facilities and other large dirt-moving projects.

When he wasn’t working, Mark enjoyed hunting, fishing, kicking tires, hanging with his many friends and sharing stories about his outdoor adventures along the West Coast, Alaska and Colorado. He supported long-term habitat and wildlife management with memberships in Ducks Unlimited and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Numerous wildlife trophies from a lifetime of hunting and fishing fill the cabin he shared with his wife Sue Ann.

At the suggestion of his little brother Chad, Mark met the love of his life and woman who “tamed” him in 1988. And finally on October 4th, 2014, surrounded by family and friends from all over the West, they were married under the apple tree at their cabin on their hill above Sumas.

Mark is survived by his wife Sue Ann; stepchildren Zack and Alyssa; step granddaughters Malyiah and Kendra; mother Linda Street, father and stepmother Chuck and Colleen Newton; brothers Scott, Chad (Richelle); step siblings Charez Norris (Craig), Shawna Walton (Ron), Dean Norris, and Clifford Street;  step grandmother Bernice Street; nieces and nephews Alex, Kendall, Kasey, Amber, Holly, Tate, Bodean and Savannah; numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and other extended family; faithful dog  Kimber Sue and reclusive cat Keystone. (Whew!)

Mark’s family sincerely thanks Dr. Matthew Werner, who was Mark’s primary care physician, and Dr. James Schoenecker, his long-standing care provider at NW Gastroenterologyh, along with the many other doctors, nurses and volunteers at the University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance and St. Joseph’s Hospital, all of whom made monumental efforts to try and save Mark. Special thanks to the Whatcom Hospice House, for keeping Mark comfortable and giving him a quiet, peaceful place to spend his final days surrounded by family and friends.

There will be a Celebration of Mark’s life at the Deming Logging Show Grounds on Saturday, February 28^th 2015, beginning at 4:00 p.m. Please bring your favorite stories and a pot luck dish to share.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that donations be made to the Whatcom Hospice House or a charity of your choice.

Fisherman’s Prayer: God grant that I may live to hunt and fish for another shining day, But when my final shot and cast are made, I then most Humbly pray, When nestled in your Landing net as I lay Peacefully asleep, You'll smile at me and judge that I am Good enough to keep. (This isn’t the actual fisherman’s prayer, it was something I was trying to tweak to include hunting.)

This is the original version of:

The Fisherman's Prayer

I pray that I may live to fish

Until my dying day.

And when it comes to my last cast,

I then most humbly pray:

When in the Lord's great landing net

And peacefully asleep

That in His mercy I be judged

Big enough to keep.

This is my final version of the The Fisherman's Prayer only:

I prayed that I might live to fish until my dying day. Now that I have made my final cast, I do most humbly pray:  When in the Lord's great landing net and peacefully asleep, may his mercy judge me big enough to keep.

This is my final version of the The Fisherman's Prayer tweaked to include hunting:

I prayed that I might live to hunt and fish until my dying day. Now that I have fired my last round and made my final cast I most humbly pray:  When in the Lord's great blind or landing net and peacefully asleep, may his mercy judge me big enough to keep.

I also found something called The Sportsman’s Prayer, which was mostly about football/baseball types of sports, and I fiddled with it until I came up with this, which includes something Chad mentioned. Feel free to do whatever you want with it:

This Sportsman’s Prayer

You let me live, O Mighty Master, such a life as men should know,

tasting triumph and disaster, joy, and not too much of woe.

You let me run and tackle and hunt and fish and fight and love and laugh;

now that I am scattered among the streams and hills, let this be my epitaph:

He was one who took his chances in the risky world of rugged men.

He battled fate and circumstances, fought and fell and rose to fight again.

He took his beatings and did not wail, and in the end, never let his courage fail.

He knew that he was loved and understood, whether he behaved well or not so good.

He never failed to help a friend, and he played the game with them until it finished.

He lived life as a sportsman, and right until its end, he lived that life to its fullest.

(This is the original Sportsman’s Prayer):

A Sportsman’s Prayer – anonymous

Let me live, O Mighty Master,

   Such a life as men should know,

Tasting triumph and disaster,

   Joy – and not too much of woe;

Let me run the gamut over,

   Let me fight and love and laugh

And when I’m beneath the clover

   Let this be my epitaph.

Here lies one who took his chances

   In life’s busy world of men;

Battled fate and circumstances,

   Fought and fell and fought again.

Won sometimes, but did no crowing,

   Lost sometimes, but didn’t wail,

Took his beating, but kept going

   Never let his courage fail.

He was fallible and human

   Therefore loved and understood

Both his fellow man and woman

   Whether good or not so good.

Kept his spirit undiminished,

   Never failed to help a friend,

Played the game till it was finished,

   Lived a Sportsman to the end.