John Mark Sebald

Sebald, John Mark "Papaw"

None of us can tell the story of John Mark 'Papaw' Sebald as well as he could, but we'll give it a try. Mark was born in Middletown, OH on December 20, 1950 to John 'Jack' and Pauline Sebald. He graduated in 1969 from Middletown High School. He followed in his father's footsteps to work at Armco Steel (later AK Steel) for 37 years.

He loved his family deeply, and he let them know often. He is survived by son Rom (Emily) Wells, daughter Jill (Paul) Browder, and son Christian Sebald. In 2004, he married Ruby, and he welcomed all of Ruby's children into his family. David (Jami) Massey, Doug (Dao) Massey, Jennifer (Jerry) Massey, Shelly Massey, and Rick Massey loved their time with Mark. His grandchildren enjoyed Mark's jokes and stories, and he lit up when they visited. Landen, Jack, A.J., Miette, Alaister, Helen, Nolen, Harper, Max, Zoe, Will, Michael, R.J., Clarissa, Kyle, and Clint were all lucky to have Papaw Mark in their lives. Mark loved his sisters, Paula (Bob) Reister, Linda (Gene) Geisler, and Sheila (Steve) Berger.

No story about Mark would be complete without mentioning Mark's lifelong friend Greg Lepera. If you want to know about their adventures (and misadventures), Greg is the guy. Mark loved spending time with his close friends, including Greg's wife Connie, Vicky and Bill Lambert, Jean Cunningham, and his kind neighbors.

Mark was a talented photographer, and loved taking photographs of family, signs, flowers, buildings, and interesting faces. He loved music, especially Kenny Loggins, Amos Lee, Tracy Chapman, and Walk Off the Earth, and he was our playlist master. He loved Bengals football, golf, his pets Bean and Oakley, his flowers, and feeding all the birds at his Paradise on the Pond.

After a long illness, Mark passed at home, surrounded by his loved ones. Mark was preceded in death by his parents, John 'Jack' and Pauline Sebald, his stepmom Louise Sebald, and his former spouses, Jan Sebald and Cindy Lambert.

The family would like to thank Dr. Radhika Rajsheker who provided excellent and kind care to Mark throughout his illness. We would also like to thank the Rehabilitation Floor staff at Atrium, and the hospice care staff for their above and beyond assistance.

The family will receive friends at a gathering at 500 East Street, Springboro, OH on March 1, 2025 from 1 PM to 5 PM. Our special tribute to Mark will start around 2 PM for family and friends to share stories with all who are gathered.