Mark Edward Holton passed away at Woodland Estates on Sept. 12, 2025, very peacefully with close friends by his side.
He was preceded in death by his parents and younger brother, Roy Greg Holton. Mark is survived by his older sister, Gail Joyce Heintzelman (husband, John) of Paxton, Illinois, and his younger sister, Rhonda Sue Haile (husband, Earl) of Monticello, Indiana, along with three nephews and three nieces.
Mark was born Jan. 15, 1947, in Brunswick, Georgia, to George J. Holton and Florence Lenora (Sue) Crocker. His father was career military, and the family moved often. It was said that the discipline in the Holton home was stricter than what his father’s men experienced in the Army.
His early years were both sad and very hard. He left home at 16. With God’s help, he secured his first job and lived in a dog kennel where he worked in St. Louis, Missouri. Those became some of the happiest times of his young life.
After graduating from high school, Mark packed up his 1957 Chevy and drove to Baylor University, where he had been accepted into the pre-med program. He arrived with no job, no food and no place to stay, and he needed help with tuition. God was with him. A kind woman in the student aid office helped him secure a job in the student union cafeteria, which provided both income and meals, and another position in the library, which paid $100 per month. His tuition was reduced from $25 per semester hour to $6 per hour. He was also given a room in Kokernot Hall, one of Baylor’s men’s dormitories, where he lived for free as a student wing director. He was affectionately known as “The Determinate.” These were good years.
While in graduate school, he met Judith, the love of his life, and they soon married. Mark was then accepted to medical school at Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine. He joined the Army, which paid for his medical education. After graduation, he completed his pediatric residency at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu. He later served as Chief of Pediatrics at Noble Army Hospital, Fort McClellan, Alabama, for three years.
In 1982, Mark returned to Fort Worth, Texas, and opened his private pediatric practice, which he operated until his retirement in 2000. After retiring, he and Judith traveled in an RV. It was during this time that Judith informed him she was leaving. Their divorce came as a total shock and deeply grieved him. It was one of the lowest points in his life.
God carried him through and brought him to Centralia, Washington, where he lived near his best friends since medical school, Tom and Cindy Cooke. Their children and grandchildren became his family, and soon he was known as “Papa Mark.” These were good years, filled with farm work, fellowship and the love of an extended family who also adopted him as their own.
In later years, Alzheimer’s slowly began to take his memory. Mark did not want to die of Alzheimer’s, and God granted his wish—he passed away of a stroke.
The family wishes to thank the staff at Woodland Estates for their compassionate care at the end of Mark’s life.
A Celebration of Life will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025, at Grace Church in Chehalis. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Mark’s name to the Grace Church Youth Group or the Lewis County Animal Shelter.
Mark will be missed so much. God gave him a servant’s heart. He was never happier than when helping others—whether fetching a cup of coffee or taking on the dirty jobs no one else wanted to do. Just as Jesus washed his disciples’ feet, Mark served without seeking recognition or honor.
Mark was a member of Grace Baptist Church in Chehalis, Washington, where he loved greeting people as they came to worship. Though he often struggled with sadness, his greatest joy came from helping others.
Mark, we loved you and will miss you!
