From the Eau Claire
Leader-Telegram
(
Mark Bruce Atkinson
Mark Bruce Atkinson of
Chetek, Wisconsin died peacefully in his sleep on December 12, 2019. He
was born August 16, 1941. Mark grew up in Eau Claire and graduated from
Memorial High School in 1959. In 1963 he married Dorothy Sorlie and
divorced in 1991. Mark and Dorothy had three children: Thomas, Susan,
and Michael. Mark loved his time fishing in Canada with his children,
coaching youth hockey, traveling to water ski tournaments, and off-roading.
Mark married Pamela Menz in 2000 and divorced in 2013. During their
marriage, Pam and Mark enjoyed splitting their time between Austin,
Texas and Chetek, Wisconsin and traveling with their two dogs.
Mark started his newspaper career at the Waukesha Freeman in 1963. In
1968 the family moved back to Eau Claire where Mark became the
Advertising Director for the Leader-Telegram. During his tenure, he
helped create The Country Today, a weekly farm newspaper. He later ran
the Eau Claire Press company's audio and video divisions, helped
innovate Tele-Text, an interactive video content service, and as an
international expert, was asked to speak on the subject in Germany and
Norway. Mark retired in 1991 and moved to Chetek, Wisconsin where he
focused on his hobbies of car collecting, fishing and meeting with the
crew at Bob's Grill (Chetek Cafe).
Mark is preceded in death by his parents Marshall and Alvaretta (Smith)
Atkinson, his sister Jane Stone, and his son Thomas. He is survived by
his children Susan Schmitz (Mike) and Michael Atkinson (Anita) and 5
grandchildren.
Please join the family for a celebration of life at The Chetek Cafe at
505 2nd Street Chetek, Wisconsin 54728 on Sunday January 19 from 1:00
p.m. - 4:00 p.m. You are encouraged to bring your favorite Mark
story/memory to share.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred for the Chetek Food Shelf or
Chetek Lakes Protection Association. www.burnham-ours.com