Mark Stuecker passed away at the Iowa Veterans Home on Saturday, March 16th at the age of 78. We are confident that even as he took his last and final breath, he was fiercely questioning whether his repeated attempts at teaching his daughters how to change a water filter had been sufficient. Not even Lewy body dementia and Parkinson’s disease could rob Mark of his quest to impart important life lessons onto his family.
Born to humble beginnings on February 21, 1946 to Robert and Esther Stuecker on a farm in St. Paul, Iowa, Mark once only got a single pair of socks for Christmas. He would marry his wife Pam Schoenewe on June 10, 1978, start a business, and buy a small house in town.
Together, Mark and Pam would raise three daughters, Jill (Kwasi), Heather, and Laura (Damario). We will describe them as “spirited” just to keep things simple. They would become first generation college students and enjoy arguing about who among them was their parents’ favorite (Jill, obviously). More importantly perhaps, is that Jill, Heather, and Laura had no interest in learning about water filters.
Those who knew Mark best affectionately referred to him as a “service-call man”. He was almost always working on a lawnmower or a refrigerator in his shop. He loved the Teton mountains, his motorcycle, popcorn with covert and excessive amounts of butter strategically hidden from his wife at the bottom of the bowl, and teaching his daughters about literally anything. The latter included topics such as how to safely use a kitchen knife and properly driving on a two-lane highway when going up-hill (even when previously named daughters were well into their 30s and 40s). Mark was passionate about low cost cell phone plans, timely oil changes, reverse osmosis, vitamins, getting enough fiber in one’s diet, and shoe purchases that were practical.
Mark was an original girl dad, way before it became trendy (and he most certainly didn’t approve of anything trendy). Even though he balked at fashion over function (like REALLY balked), he drove beat-up cars so that his girls could drive cute ones. That was the kind of husband and dad that he was.
In addition to his wife and daughters Mark is survived by 6 grandkids: Hazel, Maxwell, Braxton, Duke, Ace, and Steel. Before his illness set in Mark could be found taking them on motorcycle rides, teaching them how to fix something random in his shop with tools their mothers didn’t want them to have, showing them how to pick tomatoes from the garden, or riding on rollercoasters at Adventureland. Mark is additionally survived by three brothers and three sister-in-laws: Bob (Martha) Stuecker, Leroy (Viola) Stuecker, Larry Stuecker and Adele Stuecker. His brother, Donny Stuecker, sister-in-law Marge Stuecker and sister and brother-in-law Betty (Jim) Sanders preceded him in death. His siblings were his very best friends.
Mark eventually became a public servant, like all three of his daughters are today. He loved working at the Department of Corrections in Mt. Pleasant. Mark was also a veteran, serving as a Sargent in the U.S. Air Force. Our family is incredibly grateful for the love, support, and care he received at the Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown in his final year of life. We are also thankful to his care team at Unity Point Hospice. All of you are rockstars.
Losing a loved one to dementia makes for several rounds of a very long and very hard goodbye. To our dearest dad: we will always find comfort in knowing that whenever we order an expensive coffee, chose the wrong cell phone plan, or buy the pretty pink heels with sparkles instead of a sturdy pair of black flats, you will be watching us from up above, shaking your head in total and utter disbelief and smiling just a little.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11 a.m., Wednesday, at All Saints Catholic Church in Keokuk with Reverend David Brownfield, Ph.D. officiating. Burial with military rites will be in the Keokuk National Cemetery.
Visitation will be held prior to the service, from 10-11 a.m., Wednesday, at the church with family meeting with friends at that time.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Iowa Veterans Home, 1301 Summit St., Marshalltown, IA 50158.
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.vigenmemorialhome.com
