Mark Putnam

Mark Allen Putnam was an outgoing man whose friendliness served him well in business as well as in his personal life. He was talented and popular, fun-loving and entertaining. From childhood, he had enjoyed sports and the out-of-doors, and in adulthood, he thrilled to hunt, fish, camp and farm. Mark was a very giving person, and almost to a fault he put the interests of others before his own. Mark Allen was born December 13, 1960 in Muskegon, Michigan during the Baby Boom Era, when growing families worked to make the American Dream a reality. The fifth of six children born to Earl and Doris (Brott) Putnam, Mark grew up on Sternberg Road in Norton Shores. His father was employed as an engineer for Dresser Industries, and his mother worked in food service for Mona Shores Public Schools. Mark and his brothers Larry Pete, Thomas and Daniel and his sisters Janice and Julie had something of a dream childhood with five acres to explore in the woods around their house. Along with the neighborhood kids, they played football and kickball in the yard and congregated around Marks mom when she brought out treats. She was a great cook and the whole neighborhood knew it. The fun continued when the Putnam family headed to Ludington State Park for two weeks of summer vacation in their pop-up camper. Hamlin Lake provided plenty of fish to catch and memories to share. Marks active childhood continued into his teen years. PeeWee football and Little League baseball prepared him well for team sports, and he played an impressive shortstop on the Mona Shore High School baseball team. In addition to his sporting abilities, Mark was quite the jokester and a regular Mr. Popularity already in junior high. He had lots of friends and was elected president of MSMS student council. As if that wasnt enough busyness, he worked part-time as a short order cook at the Walgreens restaurant in downtown Muskegon. There he expanded upon the cooking skills he learned from his mother and would use throughout his life. After high school, Mark took a few classes at Muskegon Community College, but before long he was working for Ermanco, a company that made conveyor systems. He started out on the floor as a welder and eventually moved up to be a customer service representative. He was well liked by his customers and enjoyed traveling to other factories to trouble shoot with them. He also liked taking customers on golf outings, where he could tend to his clients as well as relax on the links. Ermanco was a good fit for Mark, and he served the company as a valued employee for 29 years. Throughout his live, Mark maintained his positive attitude and generous habits. He often loaned his car to his sister and even taught her to drive a stick shift. He might have referred to himself as your bone-head brother, but Mark could always get the family laughing at his Donald Duck voice and he made a point of keeping in contact with his siblings as best he could. In the mid 1980s, Mark met Cindy Herbert and their dating relationship grew into love and marriage. They made their vows in 1985, and soon their daughter Amanda was born. Four years later, their son Allen was born, and the family settled into a house in Montague, Michigan. Much like his boyhood home, Mark made the most of their 15 acres in the country. The family kept horses, goats and rabbits, and Mark tended a large vegetable garden. Seemingly, he was a country boy at heart. Like during his childhood, Mark and his family went camping. They vacationed on the White River and other state parks and made a memorable trip to Maine and the East Coast with his parent's in their RV. Yet the most consistent fun was spent at his parents cottage on Big Blue Lake. The whole family could take pontoon boat rides to Turtle Bay during the summers and go ice skating and sledding during the winters. With his buddies, Mark did some duck hunting and went on an annual deer hunt. When they werent outside, the guys liked to play pool indoors, and for a few years Mark was on a league for the Wayside Bar in Montague. In the late 1990s, Marks marriage to Cindy ended, but he kept in contact with his kids and even coached Amandas soccer team and Allens baseball team. He moved to Lakewood Club for a time and dated off and on. He even had a few serious relationships but never remarried. Marks family was his mainstay, and he was always eager to get together with them, especially around the holidays. He did some of the cooking and could be counted on to bring his tasty Chex Mix. A series of sad events occurred in Marks life following his fathers death in 2000. Shortly thereafter he lost his job. Then he suffered a seizure that caused him to fall and resulted in some brain damage. He moved in with his mother and it took him several years to recover, however Mark was never quite the same after the injury. Although he tried to go back to work, he eventually had to go on disability. Over time, the medication he was taking caused him to lose his ability to walk, and he needed a wheelchair for mobility. Still, he was determined to take Amanda down the aisle at her wedding and dance with her at the reception. He did just that. Mr. Mark Allen Putnam, age 54, passed away Tuesday, July 14, 2015. He will be greatly missed. SURVIVORS Daughter, Amanda (Kyle) Goudreau of TN; son, Allen (Katie) Putnam of Montague; sisters, Janice (Clyde) Westra, Julie (Robert) Kieft; brothers, Larry "Pete" (Barbara) Putnam, Thomas (Carol) Putnam; sister-in-law, Cathy Putnam. He was preceded in death by his parents, Earl and Doris and brother, Daniel. SERVICE Tuesday, July 21, 2015, 2:00 pm with visitation one hour prior to the service at the Clock Chapel - Muskegon with Rev. Ken Shady officiating.