Mark Allen Neumann

A quick description of my good friend Mark Neumann, he is a very kind person with a mild obsession of scavenging for quality musical instruments at pawn shops.  We backed songwriter Lori Dreier in the band 'Wealth of Souls' and had the joy of playing at the Four Star Coffee bar in Fort Worth.  Later on, along with Steve Moles on bass guitar, myself on drums, we would back Mark at the Flying Saucer's open mic nights.  I can still hear Mark's voice singing songs from his eclectic setlist including Johnny Cash's 'Folsom Prison Blues' and 'Ring of Fire' to the Bee Gees' 'Stayin' Alive'.  Mark eventually joined the band 'Bombshelter' with friends Mike and Julie Thorne.  As time passed, Mark moved to Houston and I to Colorado. We kept in touch mainly by texting whenever his Baylor Bears played a basketball game against my alma-mater.  I am a huge fan of historic US Navy ships and Mark hosted me in Houston when we visited the USS Texas - we had a blast.  On our last phone call, we were reminiscing about our past days playing music and how great it would be for him to visit Colorado or my home state of Oregon; vice-versa, my visiting his home in Comfort, TX and hanging out with the crew of Paul Jones and Jarrod Beckmann.  We ended our conversation by praying for each other.  Mark is in a better place now but, I sure do wish to have one more jam session or visit with my friend Mark.

So sorry to hear about Mark's passing. I'm in shock. Although Mark weren't close, our friendship through Paul Jones was always enjoyed. I was lucky enough to share the stage in support of him at a restaurant one night. My condolences and prayers for his family and loved ones.