Obituary of Mark Swindell

Mark Alan Swindell, 59, of Moberly, passed away unexpectedly on February 15, 2021.  He was born on January 18, 1962 in Moberly to Ralph Swindell and Dorothy Stone Swindell. He was raised in Madison, a graduate of Madison High School and moved to Moberly at age 28. 

 

Mark was never afraid of hard work and was a dedicated employee of Thomas Motors, starting work there when he turned 18. He even made something as simple as grocery shopping a pleasant experience for all; as a part-time team member of Bratcher’s Market, retiring recently after 13 years of service. He could always be found offering an enthusiastic hello and friendly smile to his customers.

 

Mark was a member of Central Christian Church and Mizzou Scholarship Fund. He was in 4-H when he was younger.  Mark enjoyed watching the St. Louis Cardinals, Kansas City Chiefs, St. Louis Blues and the Mizzou Tigers.  Mark also had a passion for and loved watching community sports.  He helped coach his daughter in both MASA and Storm Soccer.  When she played high school soccer, he became a member of the Grub-N-ators.  He and other dads worked as the grounds crew to keep the field in pristine shape.

 

Mark was a wonderful father, papa and friend.  He had a sharp wit, contagious laugh and funny sense of humor. Mark was known for offering up his own unique catch phrases, bits of knowledge and simple words of wisdom; his family and friends began affectionately referring to these as “Markisms.”  All of his friends, but especially his grandsons, daughter and all of her friends will remember how he used to end his goodbyes with “I love you as big as the sky.”

 

His biggest pride and joy were his grandsons, Eli, Luke and Owen. He loved them as much as life itself.  It didn’t matter to Mark if you were true family or not, if you held a special place in his heart, he made sure you knew how special you were to him.  He always knew how to make everyone feel important. From his unbelievable kindness, big hugs and the wonderful ability to accept others, he will be greatly missed.  

 

Mark is preceded in death by his parents, Ralph and Dorothy Swindell.

 

He is survived by his daughter, Bethany and Brandon Kelly of St. Joseph; his grandsons, Eli, Luke and Owen Kelly, also of St. Joseph; his brothers, Mike and Harriet Swindell of Troy, IL and Steve Swindell of Columbia; nieces and nephews, Brenna and Jeremy Mann, Delaney and Brogan Mann, Jason and Angelica Swindell, Josie, Malachi, Rebekah and Ava Swindell, and Megan and Michael Link, Hudson Link, extended family and many, many good friends.

 

A funeral service celebrating Mark’s life will be held on Saturday, February 20, 2021 at 1:00 p.m. For those planning to attend, we kindly ask that you please wear a mask and adhere to social distancing guidelines.

 

A private interment will be held at a later time.  Family would like to suggest that in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Mark’s honor be made to the Mark Swindell Memorial Fund in care of Shelly Farris at Commerce Bank that will be used to leave Mark’s “mark” throughout the community that he loved and served.