Mark Douglas Short

Mark Short was born on July 6, 1952 in Salem, Indiana to Byron and Tharon Short. He passed away peacefully at his home in Huntsville, Texas on August 17, 2020. He was taken too soon from our earth at the age of 68. Mark was a graduate of Clermont High School in Clermont, Florida, and the University of Southwestern Louisiana in Lafayette, Louisiana. He spent 39 years in the Oil and Gas Industry retiring from Conoco-Phillips and working as a Production Training Consultant. On July 17, 1976 he married the love of his life, Roberta, in Clermont, Florida. Life took them from Florida, to Alabama and Louisiana, then eventually on to Texas throughout their 44 years of marriage, settling in Huntsville, for the last 16 years. If you knew Mark, then you knew he was always smiling and telling a story of some kind. He never met a stranger and enjoyed spending his time volunteering with organizations that allowed him to be around people and doing things together to make a difference in the community. His community service efforts were his driving force after retirement. Leading the Walker County 4-H Shotgun Club was close to his heart. It allowed him to share his love for shooting shotguns with the youth in the county. All of the kids loved “Mr. Mark” and he wholeheartedly gave his time and knowledge to do his part in raising and influencing the kids in the club. He was a positive role model that lead by example and that example often included a lot of hard work. He was not afraid to get his hands dirty and do whatever job needed to be done to make an experience better for someone else. He enjoyed sharing his love of the outdoors and could be found mentoring youth to be better stewards of the environment. He was a proud member of the Walker County Beekeepers Association. He spent lots of his time saving honeybees and educating the public, youth and adults, about the importance of honeybees. He enjoyed giving presentations at local schools or being a part of educational events for adults to learn more about beekeeping as a hobby. Mark would go to extensive lengths to save a swarm of honeybees on someone’s property. He did this out of his love for the land and because he had a social circle of friends that he enjoyed these adventures with. He treasured these adventures and thrived upon the good times that came with each and every one. The Walker County Master Gardener Association was also an organization that he held near and dear. He was a hard-working member of the Master Gardener Hard Hat Club where he strived to complete the tasks that needed to be done. He worked long hours some days to fulfill the needs of the organization and jokingly referred to himself as being “not a master of gardening” and being someone that enjoyed the social time. When you were with him and this group together, it was obvious that he had a lot of fun being around like-minded people aiming to better the community in which we live. Mark spent a lot of his time working within his community, but above any of these organizations, Mark truly loved and lived through the time he spent with his family. He and Roberta loved to travel and had many great adventures over the years. They visited numerous places and enjoyed learning the history and importance of the different communities and understanding what makes them unique. The time spent with his daughter and grandchildren were unparalleled with other experiences. On any given day he could be found working on a new project that Roberta found, and thought would be something fun for the boys to experience. He thoroughly enjoyed these endeavors and would go above and beyond to see that these endeavors were a success and memorable for the grandkids. He understood that these experiences would be life-long memories for all of them to cherish. Mark talked joyfully of the times he spent on overnight camping trips with his grandkids and the Boy Scouts of America Pack 471, mentoring them and passing down skills and life lessons as needed. His daughter, Haley, his grandkids Colt David and Briggs and Roberta can all rest easy knowing that he lived each and every day to the fullest and that he shared the things closest to his heart with those around him. He touched many lives and truly made a difference with his daily efforts. Mark will always be remembered for his abundant sense of humor and his bountiful love of life. One of his favorite sayings was “Live life to the fullest and make a difference along the way.” It is evident to anyone that knew Mark or to those that called him “Mr. Mark” that he strived every day to live this mantra. He made a difference in the lives of those around him and definitely made his community a better place because of his actions and willingness to serve those around him. Mark is survived by his wife, Roberta of Huntsville; his daughter Haley Littleton and husband, Brady, of Tomball; two grandchildren, Colt David Littleton and Briggs Littleton, of Tomball; his father, Byron Short, of Loveland, Colorado; his brother Mike Short and wife, Shelia, of Denver, Colorado; his brother Jeff Short and wife, Carol Ann, of New Waverly; his brother Bryan Short and wife, Cindy, of Windsor, Colorado; his honorary brother Nathan Stephenson and wife, Gay, of Palm Coast, Florida; his sister Nancy Short and husband, Louis, of Fayetteville, North Carolina; a host of nieces and nephews and many cherished cousins and friends. He is preceded in death by his mother, Tharon Short. A graveside service will be held at Oak Hill Cemetery in Clermont, Florida at a later date. Memorial condolences can be made to the family at www.shmfh.com. Memorial contributions may be made to the youth development organization of your choice. Mark was fond of the Walker County 4-H Shotgun Club, Walker County 4-H, Boy Scouts of America, Pack #471 and the youth outreach efforts of the Walker County Beekeepers Association. Walker County 4-H and Walker County 4-H Shotgun Club 102 Tam Rd Huntsville, TX 77320 Walker County Beekeepers Association 102 Tam Rd Huntsville, TX 77320 Boy Scouts of America Pack #471 1111 S Cherry Street Tomball, Texas 77375

Mark Douglas Short

July 6, 1952 - August 17, 2020