Obituary

Mark Taylor Atherton passed away peacefully in his home in Lake Wales, Florida, on March 4, 2024. He had just celebrated his 75th birthday in December with his beloved family. He is survived by: his daughter Amanda Atherton and son-in-law Kasey Pfab and grandchildren Isaak and Liliana of Minneapolis, Minnesota; his sister Leslie Stankovits and brother-in-law Larry; his niece Laura Reid and her husband Andrew; his great nephew Matthew Stankovits and his wife Kerri and their daughter Abigail, all of New Smyrna Beach; and his nephew Larry Stankovits, Jr. and his wife Terry and their children Elizabeth, Bennett, and Quinn of Rumson, New Jersey. He is preceded in death by his loving parents, Dorothy Taylor Atherton and Stanley Walter Atherton.

As anyone acquainted with Mark knew, he was a great storyteller, and at 6’8”, he was larger than life. He made great use of his height through playing basketball, helping people reach things on high shelves, carrying children on his shoulders, and always dressing well. He grew up in Collingswood and Milltown, New Jersey, playing baseball and basketball, acting and singing in school productions, listening to Broadway show soundtracks on the record player with his family, going hunting with his father, and playing drums and singing in bands. He attended college at Trenton State, earning a Bachelor of Arts, and began his career in Human Resources in New Jersey.

Mark was married to Paula Anderson from 1976 to 1982, and daughter Amanda was born in 1980. Mark moved to San Francisco for work for a few years in the early 1980s and loved his time in the Bay Area, showing visiting family the Golden Gate Bridge, Lombard Street, and the Pacific Ocean. Mark then moved back to New Jersey and lived primarily in Flemington. He enjoyed spending time with his then-partner, Mary Windeler, and her son, Michael. Mark and Mary liked going out to eat, visiting the shore, and going into New York City for shows and shopping. Mark moved to Florida in 2003, near his parents and sister, for the last stage of his career at Citrosuco North America. He served as the head of Human Resources and Safety and was surrounded by many valued colleagues. He often served as a mentor to those he worked with, and helped many of his Brazilian associates navigate their new lives in the United States.

Mark and his daughter Mandy were close and had many fun travels together, including Manhattan, Washington, D.C., Southern California, a New England college tour, Lake Tahoe, Las Vegas, the Florida Keys, and a particularly memorable trip to wine country in Northern California, where they spent one absolutely perfect day with clear skies and a cool breeze, sipping champagne and looking out on the rolling hills and lavender fields. Mark loved FaceTiming with his grandchildren and was so happy to see them in person. Isaak was his “buddy” and Liliana was his “sweetheart,” and he showed off pictures of them to everyone he could find, from his best friends to the grocery store checkout person.

Mark also enjoyed long phone chats with sister Leslie, playing trivia games and Pinochle with family, visiting the casino with friends, and was always up for a great meal. He had an unusual lucky streak, often hitting video poker jackpots and winning door prizes. And this obituary wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Mark’s longtime loyalty to the New York Yankees, whom he loved to watch and talk shop about with longtime friend Dave Spies.

There will be no service or visitation, but we hope everyone will take some time to think of their favorite memories of Mark and say good-bye to this wonderful man. Donations can be made in his memory to

the Lake Wales Chamber of Commerce Charitable Foundation at Lake Wales Area Foundation – Lake Wales Area Chamber of Commerce and EDC (lakewaleschamber.com).