Mark Steveson

Mark Alan Steveson passed away June 28, 2023, at the age of 64 after a long battle with diabetes. He was born in Portland, Indiana on February 27, 1959, to Dale Steveson and Emilie (Leuthold) Steveson. He was their first child and was later joined by his sisters Patsy, Julie, and Angela.

Mark attended primary school at Redkey Elementary in Portland. He graduated from Jay County High School in 1977 and joined the Air Force as an Aerospace Control and Warning System Operator. He attended basic training in Texas and was stationed at Cape Romanzof AFS in Alaska from 1977-1978. In 1978, he was transferred to Malmstrom AFB. While in Great Falls, he met Mary Pat Coolidge, and they married in August of 1980. During his time at Malmstrom, he was promoted to Sergeant and remained there for another year. In 1981, they were back to Alaska where Mark was stationed at Elmendorf AFB where he monitored scopes to detect foreign aircraft coming into U.S. airspace. He worked well under pressure and his quick actions resulted in the successful interception of a new version Soviet TU-95 Bomber. His superior knowledge of aircraft identification and Federal Aviation Administration procedures had him preparing plans that were adopted by the FAA. He received commendation from the FAA for being instrumental in saving the life of a severely injured person from a remote radar station. He was the recipient of the Air Force Achievement medal, good conduct medal with one leaf cluster, longevity service award ribbon with one oak leaf cluster, overseas ribbon-long tour, and a training ribbon. Their first child, Sarah, was born in Anchorage and was followed soon after by Matthew. 

In 1985, Mark was honorably discharged from the Air Force and the family moved back to Montana. While there, Rebecca was born, and David came two years later. Mark earned his certificate as a major appliance technician from Billings vo-tech in 1986. The family lived in several locations throughout the years but finally settled in Cut Bank where Mark worked as an HVAC technician at Rude Sheet Metal, Glacier Heating and Cooling, and Mark’s Heating and Cooling. He traveled often, doing repair work for businesses around the Cut Bank area.

After the divorce in 1994, Mark remained in Cut Bank for several more years, then moved to Miles City where he made many friends and worked for Regan Plumbing and Heating. He remained there for about 10 years before moving back to Indiana to help care for his parents.

Mark’s kids have fond memories of going on trips to cut firewood, going camping, traveling with him and learning “tricks of the trade” as he went to various on-site HVAC jobs. We can never eat a meal without remembering how much ketchup he put on everything, including foods that should never have ketchup. His friends and co-workers talk about him being the first to step up to help, how fun he was, how much he talked about his family, especially his grandkids. He never missed sending the grandkids a birthday card with money - even making sure to send money to one of them just a week before he passed. He was known to have a sense of humor even up to his final moments. And he made sure to give his kids one last memory that will forever be special: the four of us crammed ourselves into a giant slumber party around him in our last few hours together before we even realized it was the end, laughing and sharing stories until he peacefully passed.

Mark was preceded in death by his grandparents; his father, Dale; and brother-in-law, Tim Bost. He will be missed by his surviving family; mother, Emilie Steveson; daughters, Sarah (Chuck) Cloud and Becca (Don) Schweitzer; sons, Matthew Steveson and David (Aubree) Steveson; grandchildren, Landon, Logan, Reagan, Deklan, Piper, and Marli; sisters Patsy Bost, Julie Steveson, and Angela (Frank) Scarduzio; along with numerous other loved ones.