Mark was born April 7, 1981 in Bellflower, California, Kaiser Hospital. He died February 16, 2022 in Mona, Utah. Mark is our second son. Our Markie Sparkie, many of his family called him. It gave us so much joy watching Paul and Mark play together. Mark has 4 brothers and one sister. Family line up: Paul, Mark, Craig, Jonathan, Julie, and Spencer.

Mark was born with autism; he was considered a high functioning autistic. Mark was also diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome. We did not know until he was 3 years old. Mark also has asthma, and experienced many hospital visits throughout his life. Mark had special-ed classes as a young child. When he got older, he once said to me, “Mom, sometimes I think I am smarter than these teachers.” Sometimes Mark would say something, and I would say, to myself, “that was genius!!”

At about the age of 21, Mark injured his back working for McDonalds. It was so bad, he eventually had surgery. That was the biggest mistake we ever made! Mark's back was never the same. He suffered with severe back pain the remainder of his life. Mark also had Tinnitus for the last 10 years.

Mark was the strong, silent type. As long as you didn't get him mad. Sometimes we wouldn't even know he was in the car with us. Mark was our Gentle Giant in the family. He was sent to help us become kinder, more patient people.

Mark was generous with those around him. One of the last things he did was deliver some little Valentine’s Day gifts to his nieces. He didn't have much, but he was willing to share what little he had. Mark just loved helping people in need. He would buy a couple of hamburgers and give them to a homeless guy close by. Mark had a lot of stories, giving to the homeless.

Over the course of his life Mark lived in the communities of (Whittier/Phelan, California) (Provo/Mona, Utah).

When Mark was young he loved going to grandpa and Grandma Robbins house. He would play video games, listen to music and tapes with stories, and take walks with grandma. My father passed away when I was pregnant with Mark so he did not know his grandpa Kreutzer. He also loved going to Grandma Kreutzer's house. She read the Children's Friend magazine to him, and other church stories.

Mark loved to eat taco salad, tamale pie (sushi with brothers), pizza, and of course ice cream and Mom’s homemade cookies, every Sunday!! We went to church every Sunday. Mark’s favorite teacher was Sister Bond. She did many extra special things in her class.

Mark went to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and participated in youth/Boy Scouts activities, loved climbing, hiking, swimming, the ocean, and lifting weights. When living in Provo, Mark would hike behind his apartment in the mountains all by himself. In fact, he would walk for miles in Provo City when his car broke down.

When Mark moved to Mona, the ward and Bishop went so much out of their way to help Mark. One kind member gave Mark a car. That gave him his freedom again!! Skyler Kreutzer was his favorite cousin. They spent lots of time together, went out to eat, movies, church dances, grocery shopping, clothes shopping or just hanging around the mall. Playing video games with Skyler, his brothers, and nephews was one of his favorite things to do. Mark loved to play board games with his brothers and sister, many good conversations and laughter throughout the night. He loved playing Mom’s favorite game with her (Splendor, Paul introduced this game to us). Mark also loved Rummikub; he was absolutely amazing moving all those numbers around! He enjoyed spending time and money on his nieces and nephews SO much! He never had a lot to give but he would spoil them every now and again. It brought him joy to see them happy.

Mark had some choice friends. One was a man close to 90 named Gary Kintz, from Whittier. Mark worked for him, took Gary to the grocery store, thrift store, etc. Then they would sometimes go out to eat. They had great conversations about Jesus and life's problems. Mark died even before Gary who is twice his age at nearly 90. Some of Mark’s friends that I can remember were: Kevin Jodice, Scott Pratt, Jose, Kevin from Young Adults in Whittier, Justin Tucker, Billy Marthe, Grant Demke, Rhonda, Cindy, Chris McKeon, Andy Jackson, and his best friend, Tony Eccles.

Going out to eat was Mark’s favorite thing to do. (Me, too!) My friends adored Mark!! We sure had a good time at Knotts Berry Farm—Mark was just so much fun! Of course, he had his moments, but don't we all? Mark had several jobs. He worked at the Ontario Airport, Mountain High ski resort, and a tire company (he moved tire stacks 15 feet tall, driving a fork lift). He also worked at the D.I. in Provo. He often had to find a ride, take an Uber, or even walk. He got to know the area between work and home quite well, walking all the different routes! He actually enjoyed walking through the city, he just couldn’t do it all the time because it would wear on his back. His most recent job was at the tomato factory in Mona, Utah. He said the red lights were interesting, but it was just too hard on his back, he had to quit. Best thing ever, because he then had more time with family!!! And little did we know that those were his last days.

Mark was very health conscious. He was always working out and lifting weights (lifting helped his back pain, he told me). Mark took vitamins, herbs, and oils, and read and studied different books on health, trying to manage his many ailments. He made protein shakes and our special green drink: fresh carrots, celery, kale, spinach, turmeric, ginger, and fruit. Mark last told me he is eating a whole avocado every day!

Mark will be missed by those who loved him. He truly suffered a lot over the course of his life. We all love him, and will miss his quiet strength in our family. We take solace in the Plan of Salvation and the Resurrection, brought about by Jesus Christ. We know that Mark will one day receive his body back, perfected, and that he is now pain-free, happy, and with his loving family members who have passed before him.

Graveside services will be held Friday, February 25 at 11:30 a.m. at the Vine Bluff Cemetery in Nephi.