Jefferson Bismack "Mark" Leidecker

Mark Leidecker, age 79, went home peaceably to be with the Lord after a long battle with vascular dementia on Wednesday, March 11, 2026. He was born in Temple, TX. He lived his best days being cared for by his amazing wife of 50 years, Karen, listening to his favorite music while having smoothies, milkshakes, and eating ice cream any time he wanted. Prior to his passing, he enjoyed seeing all his kids, grandkids, including those from Ohio, as well as some dear friends! God is good!

Mark came to know Christ as Savior at the age of 18 at a Southern Baptist Church in Lompoc, CA. His favorite verse was John 3:16. Mark joined the military in 1967 and was stationed in North Dakota and South Korea. He married Karen MacGregor August 2, 1975 after graduating from Tennessee Temple College in May of 1975 with a BS in history and a minor in art. They had 4 amazing children.

He taught history and science for 7 years in a Christian School in Santa Maria, CA and then worked DOD contracts, one which was responsible for training the Air Force in the GPS technology. He later worked technology contracts in Colorado Springs and Denver and, until retirement, worked at Office Max. While working contract work, Mark retired from the Air Force Reserves at Travis AFB in 1997.

His favorite "retirement job" was working as a custodian at Mesa Hills Bible Church. He was involved with the men's group, Bible studies, and was always seeking to learn more about God's Word. As he got older, Mark would be found with a pen and notebook in his hand and writing every thought down including many scriptures and reading many books.

He also loved art, the zoo, and music. In his retirement years, he would attend art inspiration classes at the public library. He also loved going to the Cheyenne Mountain zoo with Karen to watch the animals. He also loved music and as the dementia increased, you could always count on him to start "dancing" when the music would start playing.

One of his favorite summer concerts was the Little London Winds at Soda Spring Park in Manitou Springs.Mark was father to daughter, Kathleen (John), and sons, Bryan, Adam (Crystal), and Daniel. A devoted grandfather of 7 amazing "grandkids": Nicholas, Christopher, Joshua, Nathaniel, Victoria, Landyn, and Lukas. Mark was preceded in death by his parents, Richard and Minnie Leidecker. He is survived by his brother Randy Leidecker, sister Lynn McKenna (Larry), nephew Lincoln (Melinda), and nieces Laurelei Fortier (Peter) and Larianne Brown (Justin).

Memorials contributions in Mark's memory may be made to the Mission Fund at the Mesa Hills Bible Church, 615 West Uintah St., Colorado Springs, CO 80905 or Evangel Christian Academy Upper School, 4052 Nonchalant Circle South, Colorado Springs, CO 80917