Mark Timothy Rausch, of Prior Lake, passed away unexpectedly on April 13, 2016 at the age of 51. A gathering of family and friends will be held on Sunday, April 17, 2016 from 2:00 – 5:00 PM at Ballard-Sunder Funeral & Cremation in Prior Lake. Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Monday, April 18, 2016 at 11:00 AM with visitation one-hour prior at St. Michael Catholic Church in Prior Lake. Father Tom Walker will preside, and pallbearers will be Vince Birdsley, Keith Elliott, Joe Krammer, Dan Johnson, Dan McCulla, John Rausch, Dalton Ward. Mark will be laid to rest at St. Michael Catholic Cemetery in Prior Lake.
On August 4, 1964, Vernon Rausch and Kaye Timmers welcomed Mark Timothy Rausch into the world. Mark loved growing up with his siblings, John, Mary and Annie. Even at a young age, Mark was very self-sufficient. He was known to fill his bottle with milk when he was thirsty and even cooked eggs for himself when he was just four years old. This self-reliance and determination followed Mark throughout his life.
In high school, Mark was an exceptional athlete. He was a member of the Gymnastics, Hockey and Tennis teams. Mark’s competitive spirit led all of these teams to champion records. Following high school, Mark attended the University of St. Thomas. He earned a degree in International Business and minored in Spanish. During his tenure at St. Thomas he had the opportunity to study abroad in Mexico and Peru. This sparked a lifelong love for travel.
After graduating from St. Thomas, Mark began working in sales and got a job at Rosemount Inc. Mark loved working in international business, because it gave him the opportunity to travel for work. Mark was an entrepreneur at heart and was always finding opportunities to better himself professionally. Throughout the years Mark worked for Anchor Printing, Chaska and Edina Chambers of Commerce, AT&T and James Hardie. He was currently employed at Icynene as a Dealer Development Manager
Mark was always very determined and worked hard to get what he wanted both in his professional and personal life. In high school, he set his sights on a beautiful, young girl named Joan Hammer. Mark was also very wise, and never rushed into anything. Mark chased Joan for three years, then dated her for another nine years before proposing. Mark and Joan finally exchanged wedding vows on October 7, 1989.
They eventually settled in Prior Lake to raise their family. Mark and Joan were blessed with two wonderful daughters, Ellen and Lauren. They were truly the apple of Mark’s eye, and he loved spending time with all of his girls. Mark coached Ellen and Lauren’s hockey teams and even participated in the Dads & Dollz dance performance. Mark and Joan took their girls on many wonderful vacations. They visited lots of great places, but their recent Spring Break trip to Jamaica will always hold a special place in Joan, Ellen and Lauren’s hearts.
Mark was an active member of the community and enjoyed volunteering his time to coach local teams. Mark also enjoyed playing for the church softball league. In his spare time, Mark loved to golf, fish, hunt, water ski, snowmobile, downhill and cross-county ski, travel, and attend Gopher hockey games. Mark had many hobbies, but nothing compared to spending time with his family and friends.
He was a kind and generous man who greeted everyone with a smile. Mark will be deeply missed and remembered always by his loving wife, Joan; daughters, Ellen and Lauren; mother, Kaye Timmers; siblings, John (Teresa) Rausch, Mary Rausch, Annie (David) Brown;Rausch nephews, Angelo Brown, Dalton Ward; other loving relatives and many dear friends. Mark is preceded by his father, Vernon J. Rausch.
The Rausch family is served with honor, care and compassion by Ballard-Sunder Funeral & Cremation.
