Obituary of Mark Edward Morton

Mark Edward Morton was born on September 12, 1953, in Placerville, CA to Phil and Mabel (Coelho) Morton. He was the first of 3 children, his sister Connie and brother Jim arriving in the next few years.

Mark spent his childhood in Placerville attending schools there and graduating from El Dorado High School in 1971. He was an athlete in both football and baseball. He was an accomplished catcher and was even scouted by 3 MLB teams but being under 18 he played one more year of football at American River College and injured his knee which ended any MLB aspirations. Mark was also an avid hunter. His father shared what became a life-long passion and Mark, in turn, was able to pass this love onto his children and grandchildren.

At 19, Mark started working in the lumber industry and became a volunteer firefighter/EMT. He worked at Diamond Lumber in Placerville as well as many of their different locations through the 70s and early 80s. He then moved to Lodi and continued serving that community in EMS. Mark and Suzy were introduced by mutual friends in the early 80s. In 1985 they reconnected, and Suzy became the love of his life. He moved to Jackson shortly thereafter. Mark and Suzy were married in 1986 making their home in Jackson with Suzy’s kids, Kim and Keith and in 1987 the next love of his life arrived, Jessica Paige.

Also, in 1987 Mark started working at Sender’s Market in Mountain Ranch and continued until 1995 when he began working at Meeks Lumber in Martell. Taking a job in Jackson also allowed him to finally start volunteering with the Jackson Fire Department under Chief Jack Quinn. Mark left the lumber industry to become Chief of the JFD in 2012 and was medically retired in 2017. He so loved this job and even though retired, he remained close to “the boys”.

Mark was a very active member of the community. He belonged to numerous organizations including the Sons of St Patrick, Ducks Unlimited, California Deer Association and the California Waterfowl Association. He loved hunting, both deer and ducks. There were numerous out of state deer hunting trips with his dad, dear friends and his son. Mark and Suzy spent countless days and weekends at the “Duck Club”, in his element with his dad, brother, friends, son, sons-in- law and grandsons.

Though he truly loved his jobs, hobbies and community activities, his biggest joy came from his family. His family included friends, new and old, co-workers, and even friends of his kids and grandkids. He was everyone’s Dad and then happily became everyone’s Grampa and PaPa.

While his short illness kept him from doing some things he loved, it never kept him from those he loved. His love, smile, laughter and wonderful tight hugs can never be erased from the memories of anyone who knew him.

Mark is survived by his wife of almost 37 years, Suzy, his children, Kim and Pat Grady, Keith and Shannon Ryan, Jessica and Mike Rodriguez, his sister and brother-in-law Connie and Gary Lee, his Aunt Ethel Miksits, his grandchildren, Aaron and Ryan Grady, Sam, Katelyn and Olivia Ryan, Vincent Wright and Ella and Zoey Rodriguez, his nieces Alayna and Shayne Ellis, Joanna Fairchild, Toni and Mike Parks and their children, Jacob, Ava, Jameson, Fallon and Jesse. He was proceeded in death by his parents and his brother Jim.

A celebration of life will be held on May 27, 2023, and the Italian Picnic Grounds, 581 Hwy 49, Sutter Creek, CA from 1pm to 4pm. Please come prepared to share stories and memories of Mark.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Mark’s name can be made to Amador Stars, CDA (California Deer Association) or the Firefighter’s Burn Institute.