MARK BARGER

Mark Bryant Barger Sept 21, 1947 - May 16, 2012 Mark Bryant Barger unexpectedly sailed away May 16, 2012. After a day of fishing, and swimming with his wife on their beloved boat, Lisa Marie. He didn't return from a free dive, drowning in the beautiful anchorage of Isla Espiritu on the south east coast of Baja, a place they both loved. Mark was born in Los Angeles to Wilbur Findley Barger and Helen Louise Barger. The family relocated to Modesto, California when he was 5 years old. During high school, Mark moved to San Francisco, graduating from Gaileo High School in 1965 and from City College of San Francisco in 1967, where he learned the heating and air conditioning trade (HVAC). He worked in the HVAC field and started his own business, Allied Mechanical, with Neil Anderson in 1984. Allied grew to a multi-million dollar mechanical contracting firm. Anderson retired in 1997 and Sargon Michael was brought on to run the company. Under Mark's leadership and with excellent business partners and employees, Allied Mechanical grew to be one of the foremost specialty mechanical contractors in the greater Bay Area, ranking consistently among the top of all mechanical contractors in the region. Mark married his soul mate, Kathy Lundborg, on July 14,1968. Mark first saw Kathy at City College and remarked to his friend that Kathy was the girl he was going to marry. Kathy shared Mark's sense of adventure and love for the outdoors. During their 43 years of marriage they sailed, fished, skied, played tennis and golf, travelled the world, and raised their two sons, Christian (born February 1971) and Erik (born August 1972). Mark and Kathy raised their boys in Lucas Valley where Mark joined the boys in Indian Guides, Little League, and soccer. Over the years his boys became men, with families of their own, and joined their father as partners at Allied Mechanical. Through hard work and business smarts, Mark was able to retire from Allied at the age of 51. He and Kathy built a beautiful second home in Manzanillo, Mexico and made many friends and successful investments there. Mark'slust for living and intense focus could appear as gruffness, but those lucky enough to truly see who he was appreciated a fiercely honest man with a heart as big as the ocean that he loved to play in. Mark is preceded in death by his parents, his sister, Carol Zeigler, and his niece, Kristi Phippen. He is survived by Kathy, his sons Christian (Mayte) and Erik (Kimberly), his sister Susan Todd (Larry), and six grandchildren: Max, Haley, Kendall, Sydney, Mark Jr. and a new grand daughter to be born in June. His funeral will be on Saturday, June 2 at 1PM at Unity of Marin, 600 Palm Drive, Hamilton Center, Novato 94949 with a reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a contribution in Mark's memory for classroom materials to the Novato Unified School District, 1015 Seventh Street, Novato, CA 98945.