Mark Stack Obituary

Mark Stack, 74, a long-term resident of Cortez Colorado, passed away peacefully in his sleep at The Springs, Missoula, Montana on May 10, 2019.

Mark W. Stack, son of William M. Stack and Dorothy A. Stack, was born in Bloomington, Illinois on February 6, 1945. He grew up in Aurora, Illinois and graduated from West Aurora High School in 1963. He received a Bachelor's degree in in Economics from the University of Illinois in 1967.

In 1967 Mark attended Navy OCS School, Newport, RI and was commissioned an Ensign. He was assigned to the USS Haverfield DER-393 as an engineering officer, home port Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The ship participated in Operation Market Time patrols to guard against the infiltration of North Vietnamese troops and supplies to South Vietnam by sea. In 1969 he was assigned as a Staff Officer to Commander Landing Ship Squadron Two (LST Division) based at Vung Tau, Vietnam. Mark was released from active duty July 1970.

After working several years as a Certified Public Accountant, he decided a career change was needed. He started studies in agriculture at Colorado State University. During summers, Mark worked as a hybrid seed corn field inspector in Illinois, a crop scout in Nebraska, at feed mills in Ault and Fruita Colorado and as a field inspector for the Colorado Seed Growers Association.

In 1984, he embarked on a new career after graduating from Colorado State University with a degree in agronomy. Mark worked at the Southwestern Colorado Research Center (Colorado Agricultural Experiment Station) located near Yellow Jacket, Colorado from 1985 until his retirement in 2008. His final position at the Research Center was as Research Associate and Manager. He authored many research papers on: alfalfa, chickpeas, sunflowers, garbanzo beans, and irrigation methods.

Mark owned and managed his 327-acre irrigated farm (alfalfa and small grains) at Pleasant View, Colorado. Rodney Daves, long-time friend, farmed the land. Mark enjoyed camping and hiking in National Forests in Colorado and travelling.

December 2017, Mark moved to The Springs, a senior living center in Missoula, MT.

Mark was preceded in death by his parents, William and Dorothy Stack and sister Anne Alberts. He is survived by his sister Mary Stack, Normal IL and brothers Brian Stack (Carol), Salisbury MD and David Stack (Lillian) Missoula, MT.

Services will be on Tuesday May 21, at the Dieterle Memorial Home, Montgomery, IL followed by burial at Mt Olivet Cemetery. Visit www.dieterlememorialhome.com for the online guestbook.