Mark Israelsen

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Mark Crookston Israelsen was born in Logan, Utah on September 11, 1952, to Lyle E. and Marianna (Nancy) Israelsen and passed away on October 20, 2024, in Murray, Utah. He lived a life of extraordinary inventiveness and creativity, toughness, and tenderness. He was relentless in his quest to learn, master, and innovate new paths. He was a natural leader, fierce friend, and cherished family member. 

He entered this life with a fearless, adventurous spirit. From earliest childhood, he was determined to do everything his big brothers and dad could. He was fascinated with large machinery and one could often spot toddler Mark through the picture window, sitting atop his Dad’s tractor, wailing and yelling one of his first words, “Twacto!” until his Dad heard his cries and took him for their classic joy ride. Soon, Santa brought him a child-sized gleaming red tractor with a white stripe and pedals, which became his constant companion for several years. He never lost that passion for shiny powerful vehicles. By the age of 10, much to the admiration of his younger siblings, he learned to drive his Dad’s tractor and loved to get the front-end loader from the Buttercup Dairy and scrape out the corrals or clean the driveway of snow.

Mark was always a kindly protector of his sisters, and the ringleader of the Israelsen ‘middle boys’ group of Mark, Ned, and John. He soon established his tough guy persona with his special badge of courage, a black front baby tooth, reportedly from hitting his face on a concrete wall. He easily maintained that tough reputation his entire life, despite the loss of that black tooth in second grade. Evidence of his keen business acumen emerged early, as he enlisted his little brothers to search North Logan's roadways and ditch banks for discarded pop bottles,10 of which could be exchanged for a 5-cent bottle of Ginger Ale. With this highly coveted treat in hand, they’d walk the half mile home where hunkered down in a private spot in the haystack, they passed the bottle around for tiny sips to make it last as long as possible.

Mark was large in stature in junior high, the tallest and most muscular boy his age in North Logan. The summer he was 12, he grew a full beard. When a barker at the fair tried to guess his age, he guessed 21, sending Mark home with a giant stuffed animal and his trademark wide grin. Catching sight of him in 8th grade, the Sky View football coach recruited him then and there to play when he entered high school. Unfortunately for the team, his growth stopped at 8th grade and so did the offer. Mark instead made a name for himself as a top high school wrestler. What he lacked in height he more than made up for with muscle, exceptional intellect, generosity, grit, and determination, which became a hallmark of his lifetime.

In his younger years, he developed a love of classical music, fostered by his Grandmother Crookston whom he frequently squired to Civic Music Concerts. After work at the Buttercup Dairy, he often walked to his Uncle Bob’s house where they would listen to great symphonic works on the stereo. As was expected in his home, he learned to play the piano and later excelled as a tuba player in the award-winning Sky View Marching Band, which led to a music scholarship at USU.

A fine horseman, Mark shared his parents’ and siblings’ love for animals and the great outdoors. He treasured his time hunting, horseback riding, camping, and backpacking with his family. Mark enthusiastically and meticulously earned his Eagle Scout award with his Dad as scoutmaster, He was a hard worker and pitched in whenever there was manly work to be done: fixing fences, hauling hay, changing sprinkler pipes, planting, harvesting, or his favorite, driving large machinery.

A bright and intelligent student, Mark did well in anything he put his mind to. After graduating from Sky View High School in 1970, he worked as a clerk for the Washington DC FBI field office where he met his future wife, Marie Riding. After two years of church service in the South East Asia/Thailand mission, Mark married Marie in 1975. They had four children together, Angela, Camille, Jeremy, and Robert, but later divorced. When Mark graduated from George Washington University in 1978 with a BBS in Accounting and Computer Science, he planned on a career with the FBI. But due to a current hiring freeze, he took a job with EDS instead, and that decision changed the trajectory of his life forever. 

Mark loved computing and programming, and he excelled at the new computer accounting and data systems that were developing in the early 1980s. His work for EDS took him and his growing family to Singapore and England where he quickly moved from managing projects to managing regions of the company. That was the beginning of his long-term relationship with business in South East Asia, and many consulting and VP positions for companies like Oracle, Salesgenie, and Salesforce. In 1987 Mark married his second wife Kanokwan (Toi), and they added two more children, Chanon and Michael. They made their home in Thailand for many years, then moved to Utah in the early 2000s. 

Over the last twelve years, Mark has dedicated his professional time to developing technology, patents, and software for his own company, Quantum IR Technologies, to support infrared data collection and analysis in industries from fire-fighting, aviation, oil and gas, to concrete.

Mark has always loved to fly. He started with skydiving, but left that behind when he became a family man. Later in life, however, he was finally able to come back to the pursuit of his dream and he got his private pilot license and helicopter and fixed wing certifications. He loved the freedom of the skies, and developed aviation businesses to support his passion. 

Spending time with family was important to Mark, and he never forgot his country roots. Much of his spare time was spent at his ranch, where family members could all work side-by-side improving irrigation, planting trees, crops, and many other projects. His people, whether family, work associates, or friends, were important to him and he would often bend over backward to help someone. 

Mark was preceded in death by his parents and brothers L. Douglas and John Israelsen. He is survived by his wife Kanokwan, children Chanon Israelsen (Michael), Angela Millsap (Dale), Camille Swasey (Merin), Jeremy Israelsen (Shelli), Robert Israelsen (Hillary), Michael Israelsen; siblings L. Dwight Israelsen (Jill), Jeanne Harrison (Keith), Laurie Ballam (Michael), Ned Israelsen (Cynthia), Lila Geddes (Doyle), Richard Israelsen, Eve Jones (Randy), James Israelsen (Melinda), Bonnie Erickson (Steve), and nineteen grandchildren - Stephen Millsap-Kijauskas (Thomas), Daren Swasey, Samantha Fullmer (Connor), Gareth Millsap (AshLeigh), Jacob Millsap (Madelynn), Julia Swasey, Gavin Millsap, Quentin Millsap, Marya Millsap, Ingrid Millsap, Elijah Swasey, Esther Swasey, Owen Millsap, Malcolm Israelsen, Bruce Israelsen, Naomi Swasey, Nora Israelsen, Claire Israelsen, and Charlotte Israelsen. 

A viewing will be held on Monday, October 28 2024 from 6-8 pm at Allen Mortuary, 420 E 1800 N in North Logan. The funeral services begin at 12 pm on Tuesday, October 29 at the North Logan Green Canyon Stake Center, 1850 N 400 E, North Logan, and will be broadcast at the link below. Another viewing will be held at the same location at 10 am. Interment will be at the North Logan City Cemetery following the service.

Memories and condolences may be shared at www.allenmortuaries.com.

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