Mark Edward Kirchgessner

On Wednesday, May 19, 2021, Mark Edward Kirchgessner, devoted father, brother, companion and friend, passed away at the age of 55 surrounded by his family. He was born in Houston, Texas, to Edward J. and Katherine Courtney Kirchgessner, on July 31, 1965.

Mark was the youngest of the children, and can be remembered smiling with his bowl of Captain Crunch at the table in the morning.  His creativity that came from the heart allowed him to spend hours playing with his GI Joe collection.  He would be found many afternoons playing behind the house in the yard with various action scenarios that the army men could get into.  He enjoyed the outdoors as a young man raising chickens in the FFA that carried over to his love for animals later in life.

Mark grew up in the Cypress area, and attended Cy-Fair High school and then went on to receive his bachelor’s degree from Sam Houston State University.  While at Sam Houston, he was an active member of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity.  He was the life of the party, always putting a smile on someone’s face, and full of jokes.  You just never knew if he was being serious or it was a joke with his dry wit.  He enjoyed time outdoors, and being around his friends.  Once the boys were born, he made them the focus of his world.  You could find him on the baseball fields coaching many a game, and cheering them on.  Recently he was inducted into the Farm League Hall of fame for coaches.  His family was the focus of his life, family vacations were something he looked forward too.  The annual ski trip was one of his favorites, and learned to ski at the age of forty.  Once he mastered skiing, he made a point to make sure he did not miss a trip.  Mark ran his mothers lubricant sealant company for more than twenty years before he started his own.  He also had a love of computers that could be seen in the web pages that he designed for friends, and local neighborhoods. It was not uncommon for family and friends to reach out for suggestions and help with their own computer.

When Mark got sick with cancer, he battled and fought a hard fight.  The last two years were the hardest.  He was blessed to be able to spend as much time with the boys and family as possible.  He passed his time between treatments restoring his many boxes of GI Joe’s and staging them and sharing the photos with everyone.  It wasn’t uncommon to get a text from him with some random photo, or his smiling face to let you know he was thinking of you.

Left to cherish his memories is his companion of twenty-five years Leah Kirchgessner, sons Blake Kirchgessner, Kyle Kirchgessner, and his stepson Jonathan Taylor Vallejo. Sisters Linda Hinze husband David, Carol Malcomb husband Doug and stepsister Dana Taylor. Multiple nieces, nephews, cousins and extended family.

He was preceded in death by parents Edward Kirchgessner, mother Katherine Courtney Kirchgessner, and fraternal and maternal grandparents.

He is gone but never forgotten, leaving his loving memories in all our hearts forever. 

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