Mark brings a wide range of death care experience to Watts. As a consultant, he meets with families, listens to their stories and helps design a memorial monument unique to their loved one, or ahead of time for themselves.

He didn’t know it at the time, but Mark started his career in death care at 9 years old, at Carson Funeral Home in Dayton, Iowa, where he tagged along with his older brother Dick, who was employed there. Over the years, he understood the importance of a funeral director’s job as he observed the comfort the families needed and received. 

After college at the University of Iowa and Northwest Missouri State, he returned to the business, as the eastern Iowa sales rep for Aurora Casket. Mark moved to New York, where he was national sales rep for Tributes.com, introducing an obituary platform to funeral home websites. After that, Mark was Director of Membership and Development at Selected Independent Funeral Homes and consulted with and learned from some of the best funeral homes in the US and worldwide. 

In 2020, Mark combined his experience in death care with his wife Kitty’s work as a writer and teacher to co-found The Healing Obituary, an obituary writing seminar for funeral home staffs and other interested groups. 

This adds to his mission to help people understand and use all the tools available for personal and meaningful memorialization. 

After 15 years in New York’s Hudson Valley, Mark is thrilled to be back in Iowa City, working with the team at Watts. He loves this community, and he’s a member of the Iowa City Noon Rotary Club and the Iowa City Elks. You can find him on the Elks golf course most days after work, or checking out live local music, movies, and restaurants with his wife and friends.