Mark Dostalek

Mark Dostalek

May 6, 1970-October 20, 2022

Mark exemplified style with sass. Though he departed this world far too soon for those of us who loved him, he had an indelible effect on everyone who met him (which he would have found ironic as he always joked about being named after a scuff or punctuation).

Necessitating humor in life was one of his proudest attributes.

Born and raised in Fort Atkinson, his life started on the stage. Mark was a child actor and then became an orchestra musician during his teenage years at the Fireside Theater. The remainder of his life exhibited those skills as he was always a ham and he was always drumming a beat or singing a song. In fact, his knowledge of obscure song lyrics, random facts, and vocabulary, often surprised him.

At the tender age of eighteen, he packed his bags for California to start a musical career with friends as a member of The Taco Junkies. They made one demo tape and shortly thereafter all had to get "real jobs." Mark became a marketer. After working for several companies in California, he came back to the Midwest, and spent the last [almost] twenty years with Gilson, Inc., becoming a man of the world. While working from home during the pandemic, he treasured his 'business pajamas’ collection. Mark truly loved being a project manager (at work and in life).

He never lived with regret, even when he knowingly made mistakes or didn't always live up to others' expectations (SEE: Little League). He FELT: coming from a family who always wore their hearts on their sleeves, Mark was never ashamed to cry about anything.

He was sentimental and sweet and inappropriate (often simultaneously). He was not supposed to leave us at this time in his or any of our lives. The devastatingly immense void we now share does have an eternal light shining as our rich memories of him will carry us through challenges and hardships.

He would want us to laugh. He would want us to cry. And he would want us to celebrate.