Mark Andrew Stevens
Mark Andrew Stevens, age 24, of Apopka, FL passed away unexpectedly on January 22, 2016. He was born on August 3, 1991 at Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights, IL to Art Stevens III and Mary Stevens.
Mark was born 9.3 lbs. and was a happy and joyful child from the very start with a big smile and bright sparkling blue eyes and blond hair. We learned quickly that he was active and always had an inner beat rhythm going on inside of him.
Mark immediately had a best friend in his older brother, Matthew, born 16 months before. They spent almost all their time together and they kept each other laughing. From the start, Mark enjoyed showing hospitality by spreading out a blanket on the driveway and placing food items on it to have a picnic. He enjoyed going to the park with his brother to climb and swing.
Mark was an extremely bright boy through his school years and placed above average in his verbal and reading skills according to the National average.
When Mark was born, he first lived in Streamwood, IL for a couple of years, then moved to Lincolnshire, IL for a couple of years, then to Crystal Lake, IL. He and his family decided to move down to FL back in 1998. He lived with his family at his Grandparents house in Longwood FL, and then moved to Apopka, FL in 2002.
Mark began to walk at about 10 months old. He had very strong legs, which we are sure helped with his skateboarding skills later on in life. He began to talk early and once he knew how to talk, it was hard to keep him quiet. During middle school, Mark spent many hours practicing learning different tricks on a skateboard not only in front of the house, but at MESH Skate Park in Longwood FL, and most recently at Candy Land. He was involved in many competitions and even was sponsored for a time with a couple of skateboard companies. His passion was skateboarding and strived to land some complicated tricks and was not afraid to jump from high places.
During high school, Mark was so excited because his family got a dog and he helped pick her out at the pet store. He had a love for animals. After high school, his big accomplishment was that he got his 220 Agent license and began working a full time job as an Insurance Sales Agent for Acceptance Insurance in Daytona Beach, FL. During that time, Mark developed more of a passion in music, not only different genres, but would memorize the lyrics of many songs. He spent many nights singing 70’s music to the strum of a guitar being played by a friend. He also enjoyed many movies that had come out in theaters, especially watching 3D movies, as well as watching the late night comedies (Conan O’Brian, Jimmy Fallon, and Curb Your Enthusiasm) and comedy shows (Seinfeld, the Office (“That’s what she said.”)). He then decided to change his career path to working at a restaurant and soon developed a big passion for cooking, grilling and most recently, smoked barbeque food. He was extremely good at making some of the most flavorful foods and seeing his family and friends enjoy his food and hearing how delicious it was. He loved being the one to cook and serve the food, just like he did when he was young.
Mark enjoyed many nights being the center of attention at a party. He would light up a room with the type of personality he had, always wanting to make people laugh either with his goofy gestures, jokes, impersonations, and one-liner comments. Throughout the years, family photos taken usually had everyone with a smile, but Mark would have either a smirk or funny gesture. In Mark’s spare time, he took up fishing and just recently got his fishing license.
Mark loved making people laugh, he believed in forgiving quickly and moving forward to enjoy life. He taught us to enjoy each moment. What made Mark laugh was simple humor and he did not want to take things too seriously. We consider his legacy to be this: enjoy each moment and find a little humor in every situation. He would probably say to enjoy the ride and find the humor along the way.
Mark leaves his legacy behind with his surviving parents, Art and Mary Stevens III; big brother and best friend, Matt Stevens; many close relatives including aunts, uncles, and cousins; and an immeasurable amount of friends. His memory and legacy will live on and shared with his sister-in-law Miranda Stevens and his nephews Jackson Stevens and Cameron Stevens and extended relatives he had never met.