August 31, 1953 – June 30, 2022
Farmington, NY
Mark passed away peacefully on June 30, 2022. He is survived by his son, Adam Van Gelder (Taryn Pohwat), his daughter, Rachel Van Gelder (Dan Cox), and his two granddaughters, Marri and McKinlee. He is also survived by his parents, Carl and Pat Van Gelder and four sisters, Judy Celentani (Chuck Crawford), Nancy Van Gelder, Ellen Van Gelder and Carol (Dan) Hodge along with many nieces and nephews and his beloved dog, Manny.
Mark grew up in Fairport and graduated from Fairport High School. He was a member of Fairport’s Red and White Fraternity and enjoyed their many reunions over the years.
He learned his trade as a locksmith while working for Doland’s Hardware in his 20’s. He then went to work for Wegmans and worked in their Maintenance Dept. as a locksmith for over 30 years.
Mark was an avid fisherman and bird hunter. He always kept family and friends entertained with stories of his adventures bird hunting in the Midwest and fishing on Lake Erie. A very important part of Mark’s life over the years was his dogs. They were considered part of his family.
Richard H. Keenan Funeral Home, 7501 Pittsford-Palmyra Rd., Fairport
Calling Hours: Sunday, July 17th from 6:00-8:00pm
Private family service: Sunday, July 17th at 5:00pm
Private burial at White Haven Memorial Park, Pittsford
In lieu of flowers, donations in Mark’s memory can be made to the following conservation organizations:
Ducks Unlimited at ducks.org
Trout Unlimited at tu.org
Comments
6 responses to “Van Gelder, Mark E.”
When I started work at Doland Hardware, Mark is the person who showed me the ropes. I had the skills needed for the job but Mark showed me the people skills and.the was a friend when I needed.
A wise man said that a manwho has empathy for animals i a good man. One day mark rescued a little dog from a sewer drain accross the road from Dolands _ the” sewer dog” . he gave that dog a home even though it turned out to be gun shy.
I’ll never forget Mark. He was one of the ggod guys you don’t find too often in life.
I worked with Mark for over thirty years at Wegmans and considered him a close friend. We laughed a lot. We both had a similar sense of humor. We had a love/hate relationship when it came to baseball, he being a Yanks Fan and I a Red Sox fan. Anyway everybody in Store Maintenance missed him very much and I can only speak for myself when I say that I wish. I had reached out more to him these last few years. Bless you Mark and Godspeed….
Sending my sympathy to the whole Van Gelder family. Former neighbor and friends.
Dear Carl and Family, please accept our deepest sympathies for your loss. Keep Mark alive in your hearts and minds through all of the good memories Mark has left your family. Dr.Jim & Rita DeLucia
I can still see us playing kickball in your parents front yard, all my condolences to my old & longtime neighbors.
Mark was a good friend for many years. Cool, confident and competitive, we played softball (the Maddogs), trap shooting, bowling and late night poker – he once told our friend who was going to cash out early to sit down, she was not finished and the game was actually just beginning. One memorable summer night riding home from Checho’s, Mark crawled over me and out the passenger window. Looking out, there he was with that sly smile as he expertly roof “surfed”, while Scott grinned and carefully drove the old pickup! I’ll bet they are doing something crazy and fun together right now.