Mark Steven Horstman

In Memory of Mark Steven Horstman

Mark Steven Horstman passed away on the day of the birth of our Lord, December 25, 2021. He has entered the gates of heaven to be joined with his son Mark Horstman Jr, father Raymond Horstman, and many friends and family that have passed before him. The following words are to serve as a eulogy of the life of Mark Horstman. There are no number of words that could ever fully describe someone like Mark as he lived a very good life full of many stories and adventures. Let this eulogy be a guide to the person Mark was, but let the continual stories of his life be told for decades to come.

Mark left behind a large family, consisting of five children, four grandchildren, a loving mother, and three siblings. His children Justin, Jerrud, Brandon, Shawn, and Kirsten all had their own special connection to him. His oldest son, Mark Horstman Jr., predeceased him, but was never forgotten. Mark especially loved his grandchildren and used to tell his kids when he would watch them that he considered it his "special time" with them. His oldest grandson Darion would visit for the summer, each passing year becoming an older and mature young man that Mark came to admire. Jasmine and Brody are the babies of the family and Mark would frequently hold them both, one on each knee, giving them endless kisses and loving them unconditionally. Sadly, Mark did not get to meet the newest grandchild of the family, baby girl Evelyn, that he would undoubtedly love and spoil like the rest. Mark was close to his siblings Deborah Hughes, Lori O’Hern, and David Horstman. He was very close to his mother, Patricia Horstman, who he would go visit on a weekly basis to have coffee with and talk to. A special mention to Mark’s cousin Joe Perrymen, who was not only family but also a dear friend to him throughout his entire life. 

Mark was born on March 10, 1957 in Utica, NY. He was the oldest of four children. Mark grew up in New Hartford, NY and attended New Hartford grade school and high school. Immediately upon finishing high school, Mark joined the United States Army and did tours in Southeast Asia, Panama, and Germany. Mark was a member of the 101st Airborne 326th Engineer Battalion and was especially proud of having the honor to serve in one of the finest divisions in the United States military. After his honorable discharge from the Army, Mark joined the National Guard and served another 20 years. Mark had the unique privilege of serving alongside his father Raymond Horstman in the Gulf War. Mark’s roots in Remsen go back generations before him as his grandparents owned a camp on Seneca Street. Mark and his siblings would be brought up to camp every weekend and hangout with the local kids, spending many days and nights swimming at Hinckley Lake. Mark met his future wife Cynthia and they decided to make their permanent home in Remsen where he continued to live until his passing. 

Mark took up the trade of being a Chef and was a member of the American Culinary Federation. He attended Mohawk Valley Community College for culinary arts. He worked in the culinary field for many years for various restaurants as well as the Mohawk Valley Psychiatric Center, Utica College, and Masonic Home. One of his favorite places he worked at was Camp Turk up in the Adirondacks. He would speak of the joys of going to the camp everyday and not having to deal with traffic or the rush of a city. Outside of culinary, Mark worked at the Herkimer County WIC office as a benefits coordinator. Mark finished his career at the Oneida County Correctional Facility, where he started out in culinary and transitioned to maintenance staff. Mark retired in his late 50s as he was extremely good with his finances. He took on side work to keep himself busy. After being blessed with grandchildren, he decided to retire for good and spend time with them and take up new pursuits in life.

Mark was known for having a lot of different hobbies. He was an avid coin collector and would always be online looking for rare coins to add to his vast collection. He also enjoyed gardening and homesteading. Every year he would grow a beautiful garden that produced a lot of harvest. He spent a lot of his time up at his off-the-grid camp nestled in the Adirondacks. Camp was his getaway from the rush of the world. He would sit on the camp porch and listen to the sound of nothing but nature. No cars, no planes, no trains, and especially no people was his motto. Mark was a big Montreal Canadians, New York Yankees, and New York Giants fan. His kids still wonder how he didn’t blow through the television after the Giants would constantly fumble the football. He also enjoyed NASCAR and all of the neighbors remember the gatherings the family would have on the porch with the race full bore through the stereo speakers. Many memories were made on the porch of Mark’s house. Every Sunday the family would get together and have a cookout. His kids would wonder at times how the food would come out after witnessing 10ft flames shooting out of the grill. But Mark was an excellent cook and the food always came out good, even if it were flame broiled. It was not uncommon for many of the locals to stop by and join the porch festivities. Mark was always welcoming to the folks from the small town he grew to love and would have an ice cold Bud Light on hand for those that stopped. Mark enjoyed social gatherings with his close friends and family. At the annual family summer party he would be one of the first to grab the microphone and rap along to Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre with his nephew Greg (2gee) - “Sipping on Gin and Juice….laaaaaid back….with my mind on my money and my money on my mind”. Let us not forget one of his favorite lyrics of all time - “Murder was the case that they gave me.”

As mentioned above, Mark had a special connection with each and every one of his children. He would join his son Jerrud and go metal detecting looking for more rare coins, but most of the time they probably went back and forth about their favorite football and hockey teams. Mark would often go and visit his son Justin and they would join each other in their rants about the state of the world over a few beers. His two sons, Brandon and Shawn, lived with him at home. Mark always made an attempt to guide Brandon on the good path in life and that created a strong bond between them. Shawn has always been considered to be the laid back child of the family. Mark always stayed on Shawn for the messes he would leave, but in some ways he enjoyed it, and that too created a lasting bond between them. The two boys were always there for dad and picked up the slack when he was hospitalized and after he passed. Kirsten, the only girl, would by all accounts be considered Mark’s favorite child. His love for her was beyond measurement. She was his “little girl” and would do anything for her. He would pick up the phone and call her often to check on her and to see if she needed anything. Although deceased 14 years now, Mark Horstman Jr. was Mark’s first born child and was in his mind every single day. Mark enjoyed going to Florida and spending time with his son. They would go out for drinks at one of the local watering holes and by the end of the night Mark Sr. would pick up the tab, whether he liked it or not. The time Mark missed with his son can now be made up as they are now together in Heaven having a glass of Captain & Coke and playing some Tupac.

Mark would be described best as humble and passionate. He lived his life simple and never wanted to be the center of attention. He didn’t have desires to live in a mansion, drive a fancy car, or travel the world. Instead, Mark found his happiness by staying home and spending time with his family whenever he could. He never found popularity to be his thing and mainly had a very small circle of friends and kept his family close. Mark married Cynthia Horstman and had six healthy children together. Later in life they parted their ways, but always kept a close relationship and held respect for one another. After the divorce, Mark put the focus of his entire life to his children. He worked extremely hard to earn a living and put everything into raising them. There were some hard times that Mark and his six children faced, but regardless of how hard things got, there was always food on the table and a roof over their head. While God has very specific conditions for what makes a Saint, and by definition Mark may not be classified as one, he was the closest thing to a Saint as they come. A single man raising six children on his own is something unheard of in modern times. Yet Mark did just that and did it without an ounce of complaint. The level of respect that Mark earned for doing what he did will never be forgotten by the people that knew him. His children will never forget what he did for them. This truly showed the world the kind of man Mark was and there are many that could not come close to filling his shoes.

Mark was very passionate about his beliefs and values. While he never was the center of attention, sometimes it would seem so when he spoke because he received the full focus of everyone around him. Mark frequently spoke on his love for his country and was vocal about the state of its decline. He spent a career in the United States Army and served his country when called upon. There are some who may have found that Mark got carried away with his beliefs, but again, he was passionate about them. Over the years, many people eventually started to realize that everything Mark spoke about the last couple decades has come true. This drew more people to listen to him and he undoubtedly helped shape the opinion of many. He possessed critical thinking abilities that many others do not. His views and his strong desire to make them known garnered him a level of respect from a lot of different people. For those that listened to him speak and were shaped by his words, never forget what he told you. Never forget that everything he said came true. He was passionate and spoke up to educate people around him. Take that education and pass it on to others as he would want you to.

Let these words not be the last that will speak of Mark Horstman. The human mind is a beautiful creation from God and allows us to see our memories as if they are happening in front of us. Cherish all of the memories of Mark and never forget them. When you see one of his children, let that be a spark to a memory and make conversation with it. When you see something on the news regarding a topic Mark spoke often on, remember that he was passionate about those things, but also remember he was right on the money in his predictions for what has happened and what is to come. But also remember Mark by trying to be the best person you can be in life. Be there for your children. Go visit your parents and sit down and talk with them. Stop worrying about your next vacation, new car, or trying to best your neighbors. Instead sit back, breathe the fresh air, and enjoy the life that God gave you.

“Think for yourself” -Mark Horstman