Mark Royer Friedley, 77, son of the late Ner and Esther Friedley, passed away peacefully on December 23, 2009, surrounded by loved ones.
Mark was born in Sheboygan, Wisconsin on March 4, 1932. He graduated from Heidelberg College in 1954. After graduation, he served as an officer in the United States Navy, 1954-1956, in Norfolk, VA. Upon leaving the Navy, he came to Wadsworth, Ohio in October of 1956. He worked for the Ohio Boxboard Company as a purchasing agent, and the Brewer-Chilcote Paper Company in Cleveland as a sales representative. He then purchased the Larson Insurance Agency in Wadsworth and worked in the insurance business until his retirement in 1995.
Mark will be remembered for his generous spirit and civic responsibility. He served as a Heidelberg College Trustee for 30 years, was honored with the Alumni Citation in 1989, and served as president of the Heidelberg National Alumni Association. A faithful member of Trinity United Church of Christ, he was a former choir member and church elder. He was a director of The Huntington Bank of Wadsworth, an active member of the Wadsworth Chamber of Commerce, receiving their Lifetime Achievement Award, and a member of the Wadsworth Jaycees, receiving the Jaycees Citizen of the Year Award. He was an active actor in the Wadsworth Footlighters and a former member of the Wadsworth Rotary Club.
Mark is survived by his wife, Mary (Brenneman) Friedley of Wadsworth, Ohio, his brother George (Mary Lou) Friedley of Sheboygan, WI, children; Holly (Ken) Clark, Sarah (Tom) Johnson, Jim (Sandy) Friedley, and Alyce (Larry) DeChant, grandchildren; Elizabeth and Hannah Clark, Katherine and Claire Johnson, Danika and Kayla Friedley, and Christopher DeChant, an aunt Helen Strassburger Boatwright, and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. Mark was preceded in death by his sister Suzanne Friedley Duffy.
Inurnment was held December 29, 2009 at the Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery. The family invites you to join them for visiting hours on Friday, January 15, 2010 from 7-9 PM and a memorial service on Saturday, January 16, 2010 at 1:00 PM, both to be held at Trinity United Church of Christ, 215 High St. Wadsworth, OH 44281.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the music program at Trinity United Church of Christ, 215 High St., Wadsworth, OH 44281, Ferris and Dorothy Ohl Endowment in Music, Heidelberg University, 310 East Market Street, Tiffin, OH 44883, or to The Ohio Chapter of the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation, 2907 B Lincoln Way East, Massillon, OH 44646.