Thank you for visiting Mark's pages. These pages are very much under construction and we will be adding more information and photographs so please visit often.
Again, thank you for visiting.
"Marcus' Mom"
If any of you have any pictures of Mark when he was fencing, please contact me so we can add them to the photo gallery.
Gloria J. Fluker
. . . . We always enjoyed having Mark in our home. The boys always had so much fun together, playing Army in Hidden Field, board games. Seems like our neighborhood wasn't the same after you moved. There were many times we wished you were back. . . . .
Gary, Sharen & Kevin
4 April 1997
A tall slim built young man who had a winning smile. We shared an appreciation of music and upon attending symphony concerts, I was often struck by his erudite analysis of pieces and appreciation of the musicianship of players. I will now miss him every time I attend a symphony concert at Arlene Schnitzer Hall.
Anne M.
April 3, 1997
I was Marcus' roommate a couple of years ago. He was a fun person to be around, he always seemed to be in a good mood. I remember one time he asked me if I would be in a little film production that he wanted to make. So we drove to Vancouver Lake and filmed a piece where he was trying to serve me some papers and I took off in my car. It was a lot of fun, he was quite a creative person.
Another time, we went scuba diving up on the Washougal River. We were having a lot of trouble with our gear so we didn't get much diving done, but had a great time anyway! I remember he was trying to figure out a way that he could use his video camera to film us under water.
And I still have pictures that I took of him when one night Marcus and Julie, his girlfriend at the time, came to Portland to pick my friend and I up after we had a little too much to drink (oops). Marcus was a very kind and fun person who will be missed greatly. I was, and remain, his friend.
Sincerely,
Jay M.
Marcus - How do I define the person I saw Marcus as being?
He was the first person at college who made me feel welcome. He did this John Wayne on a Harley Motorcycle impression and I was sitting there thinking "who the heck is this person." He introduced me to all the college clan and certainly made sure I felt comfortable.
One of my most comical memories was his Rico Suave dance that he would do with this weird tongue/hip dance combination. I don't know where he came up with this stuff, but the move was very.....shall we say, original or one-of-a-kind.
Marcus and I were in a car accident; I was wearing a seat belt and he wasn't. But I was the one who hit the windshield with my face, go figure. He had been looking in the glove box for tapes and ended up cutting this long hole in his leg when we were rear ended. I, up til this day, would not listen to that UB40 tape we were listening to because of the bad memories of the car accident, I guess, now it will be a different sort of recollection, like a special moment in time. At the scene of the accident and seeing Marcus' leg, I came absolutely unglued, screaming at the guy who had hit us. When out of the car in front of us jumped this lady, she had just gotten a pineapple shake and it had spilled these huge chunks that were clinging like orange tentacles all down the front of her jumpsuit and from behind me I heard this loud robust laugh. Marcus had gotten a total kick out of it, and we all found ourselves laughing. He was the calming effect that day, even at the hospital when I was so upset he made me sit down and talked to me soothingly. Of course, there were also all the jokes about how he would never be a leg model.
Tina
I remember I had just moved in. I came in from work and Marcus had one of his female friends over and introduced me as his lover and gave me a big kiss on the cheek to embarrass me. But I played right along. He still complained afterwards about the stubble.
Brian
I remember the first time I got drunk in Canada! The only thing that made me smile the next day was seeing Marcus hung over more than me! He barely had his eyes open during the choir concert. We looked so bad!
John
I will always remember Marcus' great sense of humor and his ever-present smile. He will really be missed.
Brenda
I remember going over to the guys' apartment and when Baywatch would come on, we'd turn the volume all the way down and create our own voices. Marcus had a real knack for making the funniest phrases to replace the real ones. He was a very funny person.
Rick
A group of us had gone out. We ended up at his apartment. We made islands out of couch cushions. Touched feet and felt music. All the strange things that a witty creative person could think of. Nothing but wild times.
Lucinda
When I think of Marcus - I think of:
Felicia
What I remember the most about was his sense of humor. He was always trying to make people laugh. Between his voices and his jokes, he always had people in stitches. Marcus and I met on the frisbee golf course. We mastered the "bowling" technique. My best memory of Marcus and I was at 2:00 p.m. every day jumping on the couch surfing to Hawaii 5-0.
Dave
I just remember - I was walking home from Clark through the park. He snuck up behind me and pretended to hold me up. I couldn't see him and was scared senseless. It wasn't until he started to laugh that I knew it was a joke. I spun around to deck him. My punch only landed half way and we both ended on the ground laughing. He's the best.
Lucinda
I will always remember Marcus for his warm smile, gentle laughter and the beauty he graced the world with.
Steven
(The service referred to here is the private family service held at the funeral home on April 3rd prior to the public service held on April 10th.)
April 4, 1997
The services yesterday were wonderful. I learned so much about the love you boys have for each other. It was inspiring and heart warming to see. I wanted so much to be able to share a thought during the ceremony while everyone else was sharing their memories of Mark. It wasn't a memory, since I really haven't been able to develop as many of those with you guys as I'd like. But, I couldn't do it. Besides, I write my thoughts much better than I speak them.
Here's the set up. Recently I rented a movie called "Jack". It stars Robin Williams, and has Bill Cosby. The premise for the film is Jack (Robin Williams' character) is a boy with a growth disorder which causes him to age at about 4 times the normal rate. When he's about 10 he appears 40. His parents have protected him and kept him at home his entire life. Bill Cosby has been his tutor in the home. Jack longs to join other kids his age. To be able to play with them, go to school with them and do the things 10 year olds do. The Cosby character talks Jack's parents into letting him experience real life. So, they pack him off to elementary school. Kids are extremely cruel to each other, especially when someone is different. So, Jack gets more than his share of attention. He does make a small set of friends. The physical stress on his body of rapid aging and the emotional stress take its toll. At one point school life gets too stressful and Jack suffers a mild heart attack. His parents pull him out of school and Jack begins to give up on life. The parents call Cosby back to work with Jack. Jack is withdrawn and wonders why he can't just be like other kids.
This is the scene that I've been rerunning in my mind since Mark left us. Cosby asks Jack if he's ever sat and looked at the stars in the night sky. The sky is filled with regular stars. They burn slowly and faintly and their light lasts a long time. But, if you're lucky and you're looking in the right direction at just the right moment you'll see a shooting star. You almost never see them. They're rare. He tells him he's a shooting star amongst regular stars. A shooting star is wonderful, but passes quickly. It's only here for a moment but while it's here the other stars stop and watch.
Jack tells Cosby, "I just want to be a regular star." Cosby replies, "You'll never be regular. You're spectacular."
If you'd like to share this thought with your mother and brother, please do. It explains the phrase I wrote in the guest book.
Uncle Lance
I can't express in words how much Marcus meant to me as a friend. Ms. Bowman, you have raised an exceptional son. He was funny, kind, honest, and had a thirst for knowledge so strong that he made me want to go out and get a book. There were two things I could count on Marcus for at all times: He would make me laugh no matter how bad I felt and he was always prepared to give you a great big hug. I will miss spending time with him, watching movies with him, just sitting on his couch with him and talking. I am going to miss everything Marcus ever brought into my life including himself. I regret not spending more time with him these past few months. But I will always hold Marcus in my heart.
Angie
Marcus will always be remembered as a man with a heart of gold. He was never afraid to make you laugh or give a hug for no necessary reason. I will miss him and never forget the great times we had.
Barb
The following is from a personal letter to the family from Loriann who is currently living near Disneyland. Mark had spent a fun-filled summer of 1991 working at Disneyland so this would be especially meaningful to him. (You'll find a photo of him in Baloo costume in the Photo Gallery.)
April 7, 1997
"I also wanted to let you know that I have been able to coordinate a tree being planted in Marcus' name at Disneyland. I am glad to know someone who knew someone and they knew Marcus. So this Saturday, a tree is being planted in memory of Marcus Bowman in Disneyland."
I remember Marcus mostly from our Webelo days at your house and how we used to really make him mad when we called him a "mean little peanut butter and jelly sandwich". I have no idea why I remember that.
Jay S.
In September '95 . . . I was looking for someone willing to drive to Seattle for the weekend to see my brother - Marcus jumped at the opportunity to get out of town. We had dinner at a little Italian place and as we walked back up Fremont to my brother's house, we ran into a girl advertising for a play being performed that night at a little local theater.
My brother and I are both shy (comfort zone) people and we frowned upon this - Marcus, however, with his love for the stage drug us down the block an hour later. As we entered, a girl asked us our names and gave us name tags - my name was "Marigold" and Marcus was labeled "Toothpick."
Half way through the show, one of the male performers asked if anyone wanted a dollar. Marcus was the first (and only) person in the room secure enough to yell "Yes!" The man asked him onto the stage. Marcus (smiling from ear to ear) ran for the stage like a little boy. Once there, the man asked him a few questions about himself then asked him to kiss him. Marcus took a quick step back, then looked out into the crowd at me. His face was sooo... red, and he grinned sheepishly as if he didn't know what to do. The man said again, "Will you kiss me for this $1.00?" Still a little shaky, he closed his eyes and leaned forward quickly pecking the stranger on the mouth. The man gave Marcus the $1.00 then looked to the crowd and said, "Man, the things a guy will do for a buck."
Our evening completed, Marcus was still quite embarrassed but the grin of laughter didn't leave his face for two days.
Mel
This following is from a personal note to Mark's mother.
April 7, 1997
". . . . But I've long believed that people get the afterlife they're expecting - and I can see Marcus now, sitting on a cloud in a Goofy costume, making all those stuffy angels laugh. . . . "
Maggie