Mark Hearn

MARK S. HEARN

Iowa City

It's been a trip … Dancing across the light fantastic of my life! I have been fortunate to take 63 trips around the sun, and what an incredible adventure it has been. My life began in an Iowa small town, born into a loving family that, along with my parents and siblings, included grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. I learned quite

a bit from my grandmothers, who always had their ways

of imparting pearls of wisdom that guided me throughout my life. My mother, Shirley, was a saint, putting up with my mischievous boyhood, and my father, Roger, was a source of knowledge and strength. My brother, Eric, and sister, Jill, were my companions who shared interests in racing, music and playing pinochle.

Growing up in Monticello was like a page out of Thornton Wilder's "Our Town" play. In our ordinary, daily lives, lies the extraordinary. From those deep roots, I was able to venture into new directions in adulthood that led to a career in health care and achieve my dreams of helping bring together practitioners to provide better care for people throughout Iowa. After graduating from Monticello High School in 1972, I had a brief visit at Northern Iowa before transferring to Kirkwood Community College, from which I graduated with a registered respiratory therapist degree. My career began at St. Luke's in Cedar Rapids, and under the mentorship of hospital administrators, I was given the opportunity to spread my wings into health care administration, which led to being the CEO at Virginia Gay Hospital in Vinton for seven years. I continued to build upon that experience by joining Health Enterprises, and after many years with that organization, spent the last decade of my career very happily with Progressive Rehabilitation Associates in Iowa City as the practice administrator. Throughout my work years, I was incredibly blessed to meet, learn from and befriend many wonderful people.

Two of my life blessings are my daughters, Cara and Keeley. I am proud of them, their accomplishments and especially the adults and mothers they have become. With Cara Edmond in Austin, Texas, with grandson, Cormac, and granddaughter, Charlotte; and Keeley with husband, Adam Sullivan, and sons, Liam and Hudson, in Seattle, I have known the joy of watching them create strong, loving families.

In the last 10 years I have known great joy when I met and married Tina McCoy, my life's love. With her I have experienced the adventure of travel - from golf outings to exploring the world, culminating in a trip to the French Riviera last spring. Our life was enriched with family and good friends who enjoyed the Hawkeyes, playing pinochle, and joining us on golf adventures.

With my marriage to Tina, I gained a daughter, Melissa, and have proudly been a part of her growing-up years. She is a caring young woman who is dedicating her life to helping others.

I leave this world knowing my life made a difference

- and that I loved whole-heartedly and greatly. If you

are so inclined, memorials can be made directly to Solon United Methodist Church, Missions Fund, 122 N. West St., Solon, IA 52333; the Obama Foundation, 5235 S. Harper Ct., Chicago, IL 60615; or Iowa City Hospice, 1025 Wade St., Iowa City, IA 52240.

Visitation will be Sunday, April 8, from 11 a.m. to

2 p.m. at Lensing Funeral & Cremation Service, 605 Kirkwood Ave., Iowa City. A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Monday, April 9, at Solon United Methodist Church in Solon, Iowa, with the Rev. Scott Kober officiating. A celebration of life reception will be Monday, April 9, from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Kirkwood Room, 515 Kirkwood Ave., Iowa City.

A special note of gratitude to Dr. Rohan Garje, Dr. Timothy Thomsen, Dr. Scott Temple and Dr. Joe Moonjely for being a part of Mark's final journey; he greatly valued your friendship and guidance. And a loving thanks to the Iowa City Hospice and Country View teams for their compassionate support and care. Everyone was a source of strength and kindness for Mark and Tina.