Mark Nilsson Obituary

Mark F. Nilsson age 84, beloved husband of the late Elizabeth Farrell and the late Madelon Stone; loving father of Andy Nilsson (Susanna) and the late John Einar Nilsson (Jennifer Knight); grandfather of Isabella Nilsson, David Nilsson, and Joseph Nilsson; brother of Rand Nilsson (Gail), Karin Aukerman (Jim), and Kristine Chafin (Steve).
Mark Nilsson was born on September 12th, 1941 in Providence, Rhode Island to Einar and Gertrude Nilsson. A first-generation Swedish American, Mark spent his boyhood in Warwick and in South County, Rhode Island. After graduating from South Kingstown High at 17, he joined the U.S. Navy, where he earned a berth playing saxophone as part of the official US Navy's Sixth Fleet Band aboard CV-60 USS Saratoga. He traveled to ports as far flung as Nice and Marseilles and read the entire ship's library cover to cover. When Mark returned from duty, he attended the all-male Wabash College of Crawfordsville, Indiana, a decision he described as one of the most important he ever made. At Wabash, Mark majored in English and was a member of Delta Tau Delta, the Sphinx Club, and the Glee Club, as well as serving as assistant band director. At the end of his junior year, he was married in the Wabash College Chapel to Elizabeth Sue Farrell, his beloved first wife and the mother of his two sons, Robert Anders and John.
The young family moved to Schenectady, New York, where Mark joined GE's vaunted Internal Audit program. Mark spent eight years on GE's Corporate Audit staff before taking on the roles of CFO for GE Australia and CFO for the Distribution Transformer business. Mark then became General Auditor and Vice President at RJ Reynolds, Inc. He then served as General Auditor, in chronological order, for: RJR Nabisco, Ameritrust Bank, BlueCross BlueShield of DC and Maryland, and Medical Mutual of Ohio. At Ameritrust Bank, the widowed Mark met Madelon Stone, his dearly loved second wife.
Mark transitioned into a peaceful and productive retirement in Westlake, Ohio, filling his days with volunteer tax work for seniors through IRS's VITA program and visits to his cherished second home in wooded Vergennes, VT, where he was a member of the Fraternal Order of Eagles. Mark was a lifelong dog lover and owned corgis, a Bouvier des Flandres, and a Petit Basset Griffon Vendèen. He was an avid firearms collector. He played the tenor saxophone, alto saxophone, clarinet, and piano, and was known to sit down at the keys and spontaneously improvise, aided by his excellent pitch. He played in community bands around the greater Cleveland area for many years.
MEMORIAL SERVICE THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2025 AT 12 NOON AT THE BERRY-McGREEVEY-MARTENS FUNERAL HOME, 26691 DETROIT RD. WESTLAKE, OH 44145. Interment Lake View Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations to your local V.F.W. FRIENDS RECEIVED AT THE FUNERAL HOME STARTING AT 11 A.M. THURSDAY.