Dr. Mark E. Kaplan

Dr. Mark E. Kaplan
Dr. Mark E. Kaplan, a Branford resident and clinical psychologist, who was a dedicated husband, father, grandfather, and brother, passed away at age 82 in Branford, Connecticut on Tuesday, September 24, 2024.
Mark was born in Bridgeport, CT, the son of Dr. Leon and Lillian (Subeck) Kaplan, during the throes of the second world war, and graduated with B.S. in chemistry from Bucknell University, and a doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Wyoming. As a psychologist who spent 46 years in private practice, he specialized his craft with the goal of helping families and kids. From expert court testimony and clinical evaluation to behavioral therapy and family counseling, Mark believed in a multi-faceted approach to child psychology, and life more generally. For decades, he was a baseball and softball umpire locally in Durham Little League, state-wide for the Little League Challenger Division � an adaptive baseball program � and nationally in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, the home of the Little League World Series. Beyond the baseball diamond, Mark was also on the cutting edge of equine therapy, helping his clients build confidence, self-esteem, and a love of nature.
Mark took the road less traveled with his beloved wife Cynthia initially westward through Laramie, Wyoming, and eventually back east to the small-agricultural town of Durham, Connecticut, where they lived for forty years. During this time, they also crossed four continents, which included such adventures as a South African safari, hiking Peru's Machu Pichu, and swimming with dolphins in the Caribbean. They also traveled through much of the United States, including most recently on 15 summer trips with their grandchildren that featured such highlights as climbing Mount Washington on the cog railway, and sleeping in a train caboose in Amish Country, Pennsylvania. Mark was also passionate about sports, from his early years as a collegiate athletic trainer for Bucknell University's football team to his lifelong love of the New York Giants as a season ticket holder since their Polo Grounds days. In this time, he took two Super Bowl sojourns to watch the Giants win their first championship in thirty years in Pasadena, California in 1987, and witness the infamous 'helmet catch' twenty years later that roiled Tom Brady and the New England Patriots undefeated season in 2007.
Mark enjoyed a long and loving marriage with his wife Cynthia G. Kaplan, with whom he celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary of sixty years in June 2024. He is lovingly remembered and dearly missed by his wife, Cynthia; his son Eric Kaplan and his wife Maiko Kaplan; his son Stephen Kaplan and his wife Heather Walsh; and Amanda Mitchell; his seven grandchildren, Benjamin, Lauren, Bridget, Jasper, Naomi, Hana, and Aila. His surviving family also includes his sister Sharon Burde, and his sisters-in-law Linda Kaplan and Dolores Newman, along with their children and families. He was predeceased by his brother, Judge Jonathan J. Kaplan; his brother-in-law Ronald M. Burde, MD; his nephew David Kaplan; and his grandnephew Dylan Newman.
Friends and family can say farewell on Sunday, September 29, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. at a graveside service in Adath Israel Cemetery: 714 Pine Street, Middletown, Connecticut 06457.

For those interested in making a memorial contribution, please consider a donation to the Connecticut Children's Medical Center (www.connecticutchildrens.org) at 282 Washington Street, Hartford, CT. 06106. To share memories or send condolences to the family, please visit www.doolittlefuneralservice.com.