John Mark Schrag

Mark Schrag East Lansing Our beloved John Mark Schrag passed away suddenly at home on May 25th, while preparing for golf with dear friends. Mark was known for his honesty, integrity, business acumen, compassion, humility, faith, hard work, service to others, and quick wit. He will be deeply missed by all who knew him. He leaves behind his long-time partner and fiancée, Kathy Ackerman of East Lansing, and her three children, Brad, Corey, and Alyssa Ackerman, who loved him as a second father, a role he relished. He had many close friends and kept up relationships over decades. Many in his family and in the community feel that their lives were enriched by Mark's generosity, gentle spirit and mischievous sense of fun. Mark loved golfing, gardening, playing cards, traveling, grilling, morning coffee at Sadie and Jake's and entertaining in East Lansing and Charlevoix. But publicly, he was best known for creating Seasons with his late wife Nancy Davis Schrag. Seasons was a destination store known throughout the state for offering trendsetting merchandise and exceptional customer service. Through the years, Seasons employed hundreds of people, many of whom became long-time employees. Mark operated Seasons until its closing in 2008, but he continued to develop other business ventures and loved to learn. He served on the Michigan Retailers Association Board for many years and the Goshen College Alumni Board, 2002-2005. Mark was born in Fergus, Ontario, on March 2, 1945, to Gordon and Laura Nettie (Sherk) Schrag. He spent his childhood in Lowville, New York, and Goshen, Indiana, and attended Goshen (IN) College, where he loved playing basketball and graduated in Biology in 1967. He came to Michigan to serve his two years of alternative (to military) service and completed a Masters degree at MSU. He worked as an environmentalist for the State of Michigan in the areas of transportation, historic preservation and soil sciences before his full-time involvement with Seasons. He is predeceased by his wife Nancy Davis Schrag; brother James Schrag; and parents Laura and Gordon Schrag. He leaves behind his fiancée, Katherine Ackerman and her children; his sister Mary Kauffman (Glenn) of Harrisonburg, VA; brother Keith Schrag of Ames, Iowa; and his nieces and nephews, Tasha and Keri Kauffman, Jerry, Jonathan and Lisa Schrag, and Rod, Royce and Ryan Schrag. A memorial service to celebrate Mark's life will be held Sunday, June 6, 2010 at 2:30 p.m. at Timber Ridge Golf Club and Banquet Center, 16339 Park Lake Rd., East Lansing, Michigan. The family will receive friends at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday at the Club. Those wishing to make donations are invited to consider the Michigan Retail Foundation, which has created an annual Legacy Scholarship in Mark's honor, 603 South Washington Avenue, Lansing, Michigan 48933, or Goshen College Department of Biology, 1700 South Main Street, Goshen, Indiana 56526, where a scholarship for students in biology, with focus on the environment, is being established in his name. The family is being served by Gorsline Runciman Funeral Homes, East Lansing, MI. Online condolences may be made at www.gorslineruncimaneastlansing.com