Graham Bishton
posted 09/06/2025
I would sometimes only see Mark once or twice in a cricket season but those conversations invariably left me smiling and happier. Thank you to whoever wrote that warm and witty obituary. I realise since he’s gone how much I miss the opportunity for those conversations, so I can only imagine how bereft are those closer to him. RIP Mark I’m thinking about you now and expect I will be doing so regularly during this and all future cricket seasons. With much love, Graham
Martin Higginson
posted 09/06/2025
I have such fond memories of Mark who helped me get into cricket. Playing with Mark and Austin as a teenager with their encouragement and enthusiasm meant a lot and am so grateful. It was such a fun and as for that bowling action - a true local legend. Much love. Martin
John Mullen
posted 16/06/2025
A real inspiration. And not only because his dad never gave lbws.
Crazy bowling action. How many naive opponents took overs to realise he never bowled a leggy off a a leggy’s action? Hiding behind the umpire! Outrageous.
Solid and classical batter.
Always positive and fun to drive to away matches with.
Best not to ask what kept him so happy!
John and Anne Mullen (Burges)!
Steven H Strauss
posted 30/06/2025
30 June 2025
Dear Sarah,
My sincere condolences on the passing of your husband Mark. I was an active email correspondent with Mark for several years, ever since the first time I bought stamps from Philatelic Supplies in mid-2020. Among other thing we shared the joys of birding, and he told me last year about his latest birding trip with you to the Isle of Wight to see White-tailed Sea Eagles.
I know that Mark had a B.Sc. in Chemistry and an MBA from Cranfield. He told me this because I had told him that I was a chemistry professor (now retired) at Colorado State University.
Mark sent me an email earlier this year telling me that he would be out of the office for an indefinite period of time due to a sudden incapacitating illness. And I knew that his website has been down for some months. But I just learnt today that Mark had passed away. I was, and am, greatly saddened to hear that.
Mark was an important person to all collectors of bird stamps, the only stamps that I collect, starting after my retirement in 2020. For my part, since I was a novice, he gladly taught me some of the ins and outs of my new hobby, and I shared with him some photographs of birds that I had taken over the years.
As you can see below, I am the Editor of Flight, the Bird Stamp Society quarterly hobby magazine, with a small circulation of 160. I took over this volunteer position in 2022 from Gilly Christmas, whom you may know.
I hope this email is not too much of an intrusion during your period of mourning. If it is, please ignore the rest of this paragraph. With your permission, I would like to put a notice about Mark's passing in the September Flight. If you like, I can send you by email the last two such notices in Flight about esteemed lovers of bird stamps that passed away, to give you an idea of what we might put in the September (or December) Flight. Please let me know about this when it is convenient for you. There is no rush.
With my very best regards,
Steve
Steve Strauss, Editor
Flight, the Bird Stamp Society quarterly publication
2061 Stoney Hill Court
Fort Collins, CO 80525 USA
1-970-227-0976 (voice and text)
