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Mark Raymond Anthony died peacefully in his sleep at home in Hood River on March 8, 2016 at the age of 69, after a difficult battle with cancer. Mark was born in St. Louis, Missouri September 21, 1946 to Martin (Tony) and Waltha Anthony, their first of four children. His dad was in construction and so they lived many places during his growing up years in Colorado, Texas, New Mexico, California and Oregon. Mark, being the oldest, was always his mom’s right arm, she says. As she took the kids to church, he was always the one carrying the diaper bag. He was the leader in his classroom and amongst his friends. Learning came easy for Mark; he always endeavored to reach Honor Roll and be at the top of his class. In his middle school years, in Roswell, New Mexico, he talked his dad into letting him deliver papers "to get some extra cash".  Not only did he do the job as paper boy each morning before school, he won the trip to Disneyland by making his paper route the largest in the city. Then he bought himself a scooter with his earnings so he could deliver his papers faster. Ambition and diligence were always words used to describe Mark. At the age of 19 he enlisted in the Army in January, 1966. He spent most of 1966 and 1967 in Vietnam before being honorably discharged. After returning to the states, he went into insurance and found himself winning many honors and awards each year, including achieving #1 salesperson in Oregon at least once. He met and married Marlene and they had one child, Michael in 1971. He also adopted Marlene’s daughter, Lisa. They were married for 11 years before Mark became a single parent to Michael. He was a good dad, taking the time to teach him to fish and hunt, fix cars and play sports. He coached baseball and was a scout master. Mark will be remembered by his son as a man that loved unconditionally, lived life with humor, candor and a quick wit, and gave everything he could to help him succeed. In the late 70’s Mark and his brother purchased some property in The Dalles and began planting an orchard, but soon found they didn’t have enough water to succeed. About this time, Mark met Ellen and they married in 1988, living in Hood River. Their lives were full…a granddaughter, Savannah, was born in 1989, they went on a ministry trip to Russia and Israel in 1990. They found themselves wanting to return and minister in Eastern Europe so they attended Missionary School at Storehouse Ministries in Seattle before spending 3 months in 1991, ministering in Bulgaria and then moved to Moscow in 1992 and opened up Russia for Storehouse Ministries, spending 9 months there as Directors and traveling by train all over western Russia, placing missionaries. Savannah officially came to live with us as she entered the first grade at Horizon Christian School in 1995 and we were as busy as ever, being “parents” … school activities, camping and fishing, travel, and later, girls’ basketball. Mark absolutely adored his granddaughter! We always took at least one more girl on our fishing trips, he was so patient with us. He never got much fishing time in himself; he was always teaching someone to fish, baiting our hooks and then taking off the fish as we caught them. He'd just get his hook in the water when we needed him again. He began attending Point Man Ministries (a ministry to veterans and their families) in 1993 and opened an Outpost in The Dalles in late 1993. Mark and his wife, Ellen, put on Point Man Conferences for 5 years, ending in 2000, attended by people from all over the United States. So many lives were touched and changed during those conferences. He was the Oregon State Director for Point Man until 2015. In 1996, we took another trip to Romania, Bulgaria, and Greece with our grandson, Joel, to see old friends and expose Joel to the Eastern European culture. A special treat was that we were reunited with an orphan, Zapryan, whom we had spent much time with during our previous stay in Bulgaria. Mark had the gift of serving. If anyone ever needed a helping hand, Mark was willing to give of his time, whether it was fixing cars, helping Nacho in Bulgaria out in the tomato patch, helping his brother Bruce around his farm, or working at the church. Mark volunteered to work in Florida for two months after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina through the Corp. And later spent 1 year in Afghanistan (2005-06) working on the military base just outside of Kabul. Another highlight was when we got to take Mark’s Mom and sister, Nina, and nephew, Tony, to Israel in November, 2011. Mark has been retired from the Corp of Engineers since March 20, 2011, just in time to be a full-time great grandpa to Mayson (Macey) Funderburg, born May, 2010. She and her Mom, Savannah, live with us and they were his constant delight – “his girls”. Mark loved his family and his church family so much. Mark was preceded in death by his father, Martin Anthony and is survived by his wife, Ellen Anthony of Hood River, mother, Waltha Anthony of Mosier, brother, Bruce Anthony of Mosier, sisters Nina Chelemedos of Dallesport and Marilyn Buck of Tacoma, Wa., son Michael of Seattle, WA, granddaughters Savannah Funderburg, Camie Klantchnek, and grandson, Joel Piersall and a great granddaughter, Mayson Funderburg, all of Hood River, along with many cousins, nieces and nephews. Memorial donations may be made in Mark’s honor to Covenant Hood River church, 455 Frankton Road, Hood River, OR or Point Man International Ministries through Covenant.

A memorial service will be held Saturday March 19, 2016 at the Covenant Hood River Church at 455 Frankton Road Hood River, Oregon 97031 at 11AM. He will be interred at Willamette National Cemetery.

Arrangements are under the direction of Anderson's Tribute Center (Funerals • Receptions • Cremations) 1401 Belmont Avenue, Hood River, Oregon 97031.

Please visit www.AndersonsTributeCenter.com to leave a note of condolence for the family.