Mark was born in Dayton, Ohio, in 1951, to Ralph and Margaret Leona (Carroll) McDonald. His family moved to Alaska in 1957, and following his father's work with the FAA, Mark spent his younger years growing up in Unalakleet, McGrath, Moses Point, King Salmon, and Anchorage, where the family was living during the 1964 Good Friday earthquake. Strode Funeral Home and Cremation is in charge of the arrangements.


Mark loved learning and earned degrees from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the University of Alaska Anchorage, Kent State, and the University of Nevada, Reno. He taught in a lot of settings, including village schools, prison education programs, and college campuses. If there was one thing Mark loved more than education, though, it was music. He was in bands throughout his adult life, playing banjo, telling bad jokes, and making friends, and he met his wife when he took her on as a banjo student. He and Mary Ann Larson were married in Fairbanks in 1995, and they had lots of adventures over the years with dogs, music festivals, and fishing. They left Alaska for Nevada and northern California, where Mark was active in local and county arts organizations, and they later moved to Stillwater, Oklahoma, where he taught history at Northern Oklahoma College until his retirement.


Mark was preceded in death by his parents and grandparents as well as two canine companions, Dee and Gromit. He will be dearly missed by his wife, Mary, brother, Roger McDonald, sister, Joan McDonald Smith, sister-in-law, Rebecca Larson (Ian Scheff), nieces and nephews and their families, his beloved beagle, Waffles, and a host of friends.


The family would especially like to thank Cadie Hamilton for her wonderful care and friendship over the last four years. Thanks are due, also, to the kind caregivers at Westhaven Nursing Home, Traditions Hospice, and Ray of Sunshine Helping Hands, and to Mark's many friends who have been so supportive. Those wanting to make donations in Mark's memory are encouraged to consider giving to music-related causes or their local animal rescues. No services are currently scheduled, but a celebration of life will be held later in the year.