News - pcgazette.com

News

Family, friends will celebrate his short life

By GENE KEMMETER
of The Gazette
Mark Acaley was the type of son every parent would be proud to have, valedictorian of his high school class, an honor student at Yale University and an involved volunteer.

This weekend, he will be laid to rest, but his grieving parents, family and friends hope to turn their sorrow into a celebration of his life. At his funeral service Saturday, they plan to sing the camp songs he liked rather than the songs commonly heard at funerals.

Mark was shot and killed by an unknown gunman early Sunday morning as he rode in a vehicle down a Seattle, Wash. street, the victim of apparent random violence.

His parents, Dave and Sue Acaley, Stevens Point, learned of his death in a telephone call about 8:45 a.m. Sunday.

"It was kind of surreal," said Sue, who answered the phone and was told the caller was from the Seattle Police Department. She said she thought the caller was looking for bail money or something after asking if she knew Mark Acaley.

She said she told the caller that Mark was her son and the caller then asked if her husband was there. When she replied he was, the caller asked to talk to him.

Dave said he thinks the caller was surprised he reached the Acaleys because he was trying some of the programmed numbers in Mark's cellular phone. Then he told Dave his oldest child had been killed.

"That's not the way to start your Sunday morning out," said Sue.

The call came less than 12 hours after Mark had talked to them. He had called home about 10 p.m. Saturday to let his parents know he and others from Minneapolis were in Seattle for tae kwon do competition.

Mark was waiting for his meal at a restaurant and Sue said he told them that on June 17 he was going to get the highest level of black belt in tae kwon do. They didn't know if they'd be able to see the ceremony, Sue said, but he talked about taping the event so they could view it later.

They ended their conversation as they usually did, she said, saying "I love you, kiddo."

Then Dave and Sue had to notify Mark's brother, B.J., at the University of Wisconsin-Madison; and sisters, Michelle (Brody) Rice in Stevens Point and Theresa, who is studying in Russia.

The hardest call was to Theresa at 11 p.m. her time to say her brother was dead, Dave said, and then made arrangements for her to return.
"We're a pretty close family," he said. "Everyone is worried about the other."

While Mark's ties to Stevens Point and the surrounding area are less than his other family members, he still was involved in local activities.
Dave first brought his family to Stevens Point in 1976, when he took a job as an announcer at radio station WSPT, using the name Steve Point. They moved to Eau Claire in 1977 where Mark started school, then went to Green Bay and eventually to Hibbing, Minn., when Mark was in fifth grade.

Dave, who's now an ad salesman for radio station WIFC in Wausau, and his family returned to Stevens Point in 1992 as Mark was finishing his junior year in high school. Mark elected to finish school in Hibbing, and a retired math teacher and his wife became Mark "parents" for the year.

Math was Mark's favorite subject, and Sue likes to recall a story about Mark's success with math when he was in eighth grade. He had taken a national test, she said, and told his parents he got all 25 questions correct. In the next few days, his picture was in the newspaper along with an article saying only 44 of the 187,789 eighth-graders in the nation who had taken the test got perfect scores.

"He didn't think it was important to tell us that or that he had his picture taken," she said. She also points out that the picture in the Minnesota paper shows him wearing a University of Wisconsin shirt.

After he graduated as valedictorian of his class in Hibbing, he went to Yale University in New Haven, Conn., where he earned a bachelor of science degree in applied mathematics, maintaining a grade-point average of 3.4. He also spent a summer at Ruprecht-Karls-Universitat Heidelberg in Heidelberg, Germany, and spoke fluent German, Dave said.

The summers of his collegiate years he spent in Stevens Point, working as an umpire for youth softball and baseball leagues. He was also involved with the youth groups at Trinity Lutheran Church, and went to the last two national conventions in Atlanta, Ga., and New Orleans, La., as a chaperone.

At Yale, he was a member of the Appalachian Volunteer Club, helping on construction of lower-income housing units.

Part of Mark's life was doing things for other people, Sue said. "It reaped its rewards. What you do comes back to you tenfold. With Mark it sure did."

Mark continues to help others after his death, she said, because he had signed his driver's license as an organ donor.

Dave said they were able to harvest items to help 30 to 35 people. "His legacy will live on," Dave said.

As word of the tragedy spread through the community, the Acaleys said they have been comforted by those around them. "It's such a caring community here," Sue said. "It's unbelievable."

"That's part of the reason we moved back," Dave added. "There are very few places you can say that about and I mean this. It's more of a family than a town. We're hearing from people we haven't heard from in years. I guess you do touch other people's lives."

Sue said they've had "an outstanding show of support." The tragedy has been devastating to the family, she said, but she encourages visits from others for comfort. "If I'm emotionally unable to handle your visit, I'll let you know," she said.

Like others, the Acaleys had viewed other people's tragedies on TV. "You think it's never going to happen to us," Dave said, adding that any fears they had for their children centered on Theresa because of the instability in Russia.

"I would care that no other mother and father would have to deal with something like this," said Dave. "To take anybody's life for no apparent reason doesn't make any sense."

"We need to put an end to all the guns and violence that are out there," said Sue. "Everybody is so desensitized to violence. Mark never hurt anybody and probably made people's lives better."

While grieving for their son, both Dave and Sue say they feel he lived a full life, probably doing more in his 25 years than others do in a longer lifetime. He certainly traveled, they said, pointing to his summer in Germany, two trips to Russia to visit Theresa, a trip to Japan and trips within the last year to Colorado, Utah and then Washington.

His last visit home was at Easter weekend. "We both got a hug and a chance to say we love him," said Sue.

"We always tell parents to give their kids a hug and say you love them," added Dave.



	Family, friends will celebrate his short life By GENE KEMMETER of The Gazette Mark Acaley was the type of son every parent would be proud to have, valedictorian of his high school class, an honor student at Yale University and an involved volunteer. This weekend, he will be laid to rest, but his grieving parents, family and friends hope to turn their sorrow into a celebration of his life. At his funeral service Saturday, they plan to sing the camp songs he liked rather than the songs commonly heard at funerals. Mark was shot and killed by an unknown gunman early Sunday morning as he rode in a vehicle down a Seattle, Wash. street, the victim of apparent random violence. His parents, Dave and Sue Acaley, Stevens Point, learned of his death in a telephone call about 8:45 a.m. Sunday. "It was kind of surreal," said Sue, who answered the phone and was told the caller was from the Seattle Police Department. She said she thought the caller was looking for bail money or something after asking if she knew Mark Acaley. She said she told the caller that Mark was her son and the caller then asked if her husband was there. When she replied he was, the caller asked to talk to him. Dave said he thinks the caller was surprised he reached the Acaleys because he was trying some of the programmed numbers in Mark's cellular phone. Then he told Dave his oldest child had been killed. "That's not the way to start your Sunday morning out," said Sue. The call came less than 12 hours after Mark had talked to them. He had called home about 10 p.m. Saturday to let his parents know he and others from Minneapolis were in Seattle for tae kwon do competition. Mark was waiting for his meal at a restaurant and Sue said he told them that on June 17 he was going to get the highest level of black belt in tae kwon do. They didn't know if they'd be able to see the ceremony, Sue said, but he talked about taping the event so they could view it later. They ended their conversation as they usually did, she said, saying "I love you, kiddo." Then Dave and Sue had to notify Mark's brother, B.J., at the University of Wisconsin-Madison; and sisters, Michelle (Brody) Rice in Stevens Point and Theresa, who is studying in Russia. The hardest call was to Theresa at 11 p.m. her time to say her brother was dead, Dave said, and then made arrangements for her to return. "We're a pretty close family," he said. "Everyone is worried about the other." While Mark's ties to Stevens Point and the surrounding area are less than his other family members, he still was involved in local activities. Dave first brought his family to Stevens Point in 1976, when he took a job as an announcer at radio station WSPT, using the name Steve Point. They moved to Eau Claire in 1977 where Mark started school, then went to Green Bay and eventually to Hibbing, Minn., when Mark was in fifth grade. Dave, who's now an ad salesman for radio station WIFC in Wausau, and his family returned to Stevens Point in 1992 as Mark was finishing his junior year in high school. Mark elected to finish school in Hibbing, and a retired math teacher and his wife became Mark "parents" for the year. Math was Mark's favorite subject, and Sue likes to recall a story about Mark's success with math when he was in eighth grade. He had taken a national test, she said, and told his parents he got all 25 questions correct. In the next few days, his picture was in the newspaper along with an article saying only 44 of the 187,789 eighth-graders in the nation who had taken the test got perfect scores. "He didn't think it was important to tell us that or that he had his picture taken," she said. She also points out that the picture in the Minnesota paper shows him wearing a University of Wisconsin shirt. After he graduated as valedictorian of his class in Hibbing, he went to Yale University in New Haven, Conn., where he earned a bachelor of science degree in applied mathematics, maintaining a grade-point average of 3.4. He also spent a summer at Ruprecht-Karls-Universitat Heidelberg in Heidelberg, Germany, and spoke fluent German, Dave said. The summers of his collegiate years he spent in Stevens Point, working as an umpire for youth softball and baseball leagues. He was also involved with the youth groups at Trinity Lutheran Church, and went to the last two national conventions in Atlanta, Ga., and New Orleans, La., as a chaperone. At Yale, he was a member of the Appalachian Volunteer Club, helping on construction of lower-income housing units. Part of Mark's life was doing things for other people, Sue said. "It reaped its rewards. What you do comes back to you tenfold. With Mark it sure did." Mark continues to help others after his death, she said, because he had signed his driver's license as an organ donor. Dave said they were able to harvest items to help 30 to 35 people. "His legacy will live on," Dave said. As word of the tragedy spread through the community, the Acaleys said they have been comforted by those around them. "It's such a caring community here," Sue said. "It's unbelievable." "That's part of the reason we moved back," Dave added. "There are very few places you can say that about and I mean this. It's more of a family than a town. We're hearing from people we haven't heard from in years. I guess you do touch other people's lives." Sue said they've had "an outstanding show of support." The tragedy has been devastating to the family, she said, but she encourages visits from others for comfort. "If I'm emotionally unable to handle your visit, I'll let you know," she said. Like others, the Acaleys had viewed other people's tragedies on TV. "You think it's never going to happen to us," Dave said, adding that any fears they had for their children centered on Theresa because of the instability in Russia. "I would care that no other mother and father would have to deal with something like this," said Dave. "To take anybody's life for no apparent reason doesn't make any sense." "We need to put an end to all the guns and violence that are out there," said Sue. "Everybody is so desensitized to violence. Mark never hurt anybody and probably made people's lives better." While grieving for their son, both Dave and Sue say they feel he lived a full life, probably doing more in his 25 years than others do in a longer lifetime. He certainly traveled, they said, pointing to his summer in Germany, two trips to Russia to visit Theresa, a trip to Japan and trips within the last year to Colorado, Utah and then Washington. His last visit home was at Easter weekend. "We both got a hug and a chance to say we love him," said Sue. "We always tell parents to give their kids a hug and say you love them," added Dave.