Drew Chambers called me today to let me know that Mark Nitschke died on Monday.

I don't know much more, but knew he had a form of cancer.

Prayers go out to his wife and kids.

Dr. Mark Nitschke
BOTKINS - Dr. Mark Nitschke, 40, of 18120 Roettger Road, died Monday, March 10, 2008, at 10:25 p.m. at the Centinela Freeman Hospital in Marina Del Ray, Calif., following a battle with cancer.

He was born April 8, 1967, in Fremont, the son of Lon and Gloria (Shelly) Nitschke and they survive him in Fremont.

He married Linda Schade on Nov. 12, 1994, and she survives him at their residence.

Mark is survived by his two children, Marcus and Lauren Nitschke at home; a sister, Nichole Nitschke of Bowling Green; his in-laws, Ed and Sharon Schade of Helina; his paternal grandmother, Mildred Burns of Fremont; maternal grandmother, Bonnie Shelly of Fremont; three nephews, Alex, Jacob and Brayden Schade; a niece, Sophia Shirk; and his wife's siblings and their spouses, Andrew (Lynette) Schade of Rocky River, Alisa (Scott) Shirk of Cincinnati and Scott (Ashley) Schrade of New Smyrna Beach, Fla.

He was preceded in death by his two grandfathers, Melvin Shelley and Harold Nitschke.

Mark was a 1985 graduate of Fremont Ross High School. He attended Ohio State University and graduated from the National College of Chiropractic in Lombard, Ill., in 1992.

Dr. Nitschke was a chiropractic physician, having first practiced with the Cramer Chiropractic Clinic in Wauseon for two years. He was associated with St. Marys Chiropractic 13 years and started his own practice, Nitschke Chiropractic Wellness Center, in 2006.

He was a member of the St. Marys Kiwanis Club, had served on the board of the Auglaize County Crisis Center, was a member of the St. Marys Chamber of Commerce and Southwest Auglaize County Chamber of Commerce.

He was a member of Holy Rosary Catholic Church in St. Marys and enjoyed building and constructing things, working around the house, playing piano and lifting weights.

Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Saturday, March 15, 2008, at 11 a.m. at Holy Rosary Catholic Church by the Rev. Anthony Cutcher. Burial will follow at Gethsemane Cemetery, St. Marys.

Friends may call from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday at the Miller Funeral Home, 1605 Celina Road, St. Marys.

Memorial donations may be directed to a scholarship fund in Dr. Nitschke's name in lieu of flowers.

http://www.sidneydailynews.com/main.asp?SectionID=9&SubSectionID=9&ArticleID=183114&TM=67728.6

God bless Mark's family. My dad emailed me the sad news this morning. Can't tell you how hard it is to hear that a classmate has passed. Although I was never good friends with Mark, I'll always remember him as an intelligent person and tremendous athlete. We've lost one of the good ones.

Mark will be missed. He was a person, even in school that had everything together and knew what to do and was always prepared. I saw a side of him that laughed uncontrollably, just wanted to play and not act his age. We made each other laugh and when i saw him many years after graduation, we picked up exactly where we left off. I enjoyed seeing him and his wife at the last 2 reunions. Your impact will be felt by many.

I saw Mark obit in the News Messenger today. There is a link there for the funeral home. You can go there and leave a message of condolence for the family. Here is the direct link to:

http://www.millerfuneralhomes.net/Nitschke%20Mark.htm

Mark's passing is so sad. After I moved to Columbus, Lisa Hepp moved down to live with me and go to college. Her and Mark were still dating- he used to come over and study and pull all nighters for college. I knew he would succeed- it's sad that he is gone.
At least I have some good and funny memories of him.
Driving back to Fremont from Columbus on weekends, we quickly realized he wasn't that good with directions.

How sad to hear about Mark. I remember his from Stamm school back before they redrew the district lines. I was talking to my daughter this morning about Mark when I had a flashback to Mrs. Genzman's 8th grade English class. Our assignment was to write a paper about something we hoped to accomplish in the future. We had a substitute that day and Mark in his typical style had the sub confused and scattered. When it was his turn to read his paper, his comedic timing kept us all cracking up. But what I remember most was what he hoped to accomplish ... a cure for cancer, which by Mark's prediction, would come from a simple sugar water solution.

I absolutely remember Mark giving that speech in Mrs. Genzman's English class. What a great memory Karol!

I am glad someone else remembered that one. It was such an tragic irony that I wasn't sure if it was real or if I had imagined it.