Mark Alexander

Thomas Bismark Alexander aka as Mark by his North Carolina family and Horse Mark by his Oregon family, passed away peacefully on September 13th, 2024. He was 72 years old. Mark is survived by his Mother, Belva Alexander; 4 Sisters: Kathy (Jeff Mead), Martha (Stuart Clarke), Laura (Ron Hile), Allison (Lance DeLong) and 1 Brother Steve (Belinda Winter Alexander).

 To say Mark lived an independent, alternative lifestyle would be an understatement. He free-ranged a herd of Spanish Mustangs in the Illinois River Valley around the Cave Junction/Takilma, Oregon area for 50 years. It was an exciting environment; dodging park rangers, law enforcement personnel, the drug cartel, and tweakers on a daily basis.

 Mark was born in Ft Bragg, North Carolina and lived at 20+ addresses by the time he was 21 years old. He graduated from Mt Airy, NC High School (Go Bears!) where he lived on Bluff St with his Grandparents, Bill and Hazel Smith and was promptly drafted into the Army during the Vietnam war. He applied for and was granted conscientious objector status, assigned to Ft Sam Houston, TX to be trained as a Medic. Which is pretty damn funny if you knew that as a kid, Mark passed out at the mass family Army immunization events.

 Mark was part of the 1970’s mass westward movement of hippies from across the country who himself hitchhiked to Oregon @ 1978, but he wasn’t a hippie. He was trained as a farrier and carpenter, and worked as a lumberjack, miner, blacksmith, fisherman, hunter and gave carriage rides to tourists with his horses, in his spare time.

 Mark was married for a time to beautiful Steph, and while she loved Mark, she did not dream of an alternative lifestyle. Mark once told his brother that one of his first meals in Oregon was roadkill, and occasionally thereafter, as necessary. Mark possessed knowledge and experience of a larger cosmos and believed that life existed in the cosmos after mortal passing.

 Mark lived “outside” until just a couple years ago when his health gave up and he was forced to move “inside” long after the hippies moved inside. He successfully adjusted to “the system” with the gracious, loving help of cousin Pam Alexander and surrounded by the love of niece Myiha Giles-Mason and her family.

 There are too many Mark and Horse Mark stories to recount here…he loved and cared for people deeply, especially his Oregon and North Carolina families and his families loved him back. He is truly missed.

Please leave a memory of Mark in his Guestbook.