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.

Last Update: Dec 13, 2019 11:09 am CST