Mark Stephen Kraft was born on March 26, 1948 in Shattuck, Oklahoma to Merlin B. and Leah Wassenmiller Kraft.
Mark grew up in the heart of a loving family in Oklahoma and Kansas. He went to elementary school in Durham, Kansas, and high school in Ashland, Kansas. Then he went on to study at Anderson College in Indiana, Fort Hays State College in Hays, Kansas, and at Warner Pacific College in Portland, Oregon.
Mark served in the Vietnam Conflict in the early 1970’s. He was posted in Chu Lai and Da Nang, and received an honorable discharge.
He was married to Bonnie Ridley (Garretson) on August 9, 1969 in Portland, Oregon. They lived in Portland for a short time until Mark began his service in the U.S. Army. While he was in specialist training with the Army, they lived in Newport News, Virginia. After his honorable discharge from the Army, Mark and Bonnie returned to Portland, Oregon.
Mark worked at Suburban Ford for a number of years, where his open personality and ready sense of humor earned him the award of being one of the top five salesmen in the Pacific Northwest. Later he was the manager of a number of investment properties that he owned.
Mark has two sons. Adam A. Kraft lives in Chicago, Illinois. Jesse M. Kraft lives in Bogota, Colombia with his wife Narda Gongora. In addition, he is survived by a brother, Tim Kraft and wife Sherril of Phillipsburg, Kansas, and by two sisters, Rhonda Klassen and husband Steve of Wichita, Kansas, and Rhoda Coffman and husband Don of El Dorado, Kansas. He will also be lovingly missed by numerous nieces and nephews and their children.
Mark was well known in the Sandy area as a man with a ready smile, a kind heart, and a willingness to help out anyone who needed him, be they family or friend or stranger. He especially enjoyed his Harley Davidson motorcycle, and his motorcycle-riding friends. He and his “extended family” met regularly at Starbucks in Sandy for coffee, conversation, and laughter. There will be an empty chair at Starbucks, and a missing Harley among the riders.
A graveside service and burial will be on Monday, June 10, 2013 at 10.30 at Willamette National Cemetery, 11800 S.E. Mt. Scott Blvd. in Portland, Oregon. A reception will be held in Sandy immediately following the service, the location to be announced.