Mark R. Vancil

Mark R. Vancil, 52, of Shakespeare Lane in Sylvania, passed away suddenly on Wednesday morning, December 31, 2008. Mark was Field Safety Director for CW Tank Cleaning, Inc., working for the company for 12 years. He had an associates degree from Owens Technical Community College and was a 1975 graduate of St. Johns High School. Mark and his wife, Jennie, were lifelong members of Epworth United Methodist Church in Toledo. Marks faith was a central part of his life, which found its voice in his involvement at Epworth. He and Jennie were especially active in the churchs youth activities and for many years served as adult counselors for the churchs Students With a Task, a mission-oriented group. In that capacity they led many service missions around the country and beyond, including to New York City, Chicago, South Carolina, Oklahoma and Mexico. Mark stayed in touch with many of the young people he knew through the church program, and had seen some of them as recently as Sunday night. He was, Jennie often said, a big kid himself who connected with young people through an irrepressible sense of humor. His exuberance resulted in a life filled with a multitude of friendships. As news of his unexpected death spread among his friends, the family received calls from as far away as New York and Alaska. Marks life touched and enriched those of many others - from family and church members to co-workers and people he met only briefly in restaurants. It is for his love of family and gift of friendship, above all, that he will be remembered, celebrated and deeply missed. Mark was preceded in death by his father, Cecil E. Vancil. He is survived by his wife, Jennie; daughter, Adrian Jay Whitney; granddaughter, Charlotte Whitney; mother, Lyla J. Vancil; brother, Paul Leigh Vancil; sister, Gail Joe Dorner; mother-in-law, Jeanne Parker; sister-in-law Jill Bob Gosselin, brother-in-law, Jim Abby Taylor Parker; brother-in-law, Jon Cheryl Parker and many beloved nieces and nephews. A memorial gathering will be held from 3-8 p.m. on Saturday, January 3, at Walker Funeral Home, 5155 Sylvania Avenue. Funeral Services will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday, January 4, at Epworth United Methodist Church, 3077 Valleyview Drive. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Epworth Student Ministries Scholarship, 3077 Valleyview Drive, Toledo, 43615, or Boy Scouts of America, Erie Shores Council, One Stranahan Square, Suite 226, Toledo, 43604. On-line condolences may be shared at www.walkerfuneralhomes.com