Mark R. Chartier Sr.

Mark Raymond Chartier Sr.
It is with heavy hearts that our beloved husband, father, and grandfather: Mark Raymond Chartier Sr., passed away after a courageous 3 year-long battle with Pancreatic Cancer. Although not physically here on Earth, we know his soul is now celebrating in Heaven with his dearly departed loved ones... especially one in particular that he couldn't wait to be re-united with -- his granddaughter, Amber Grace.
Mark Raymond Chartier Sr., 76 years old, was born on October 13th, 1949 to Herman and Edith (Cady) Chartier. He had two brothers and three sisters. He is predeceased by his brother Norman (who was born directly into Heaven), his brother Herman Jr. ("Pudge") and his sister Janis, and is survived by his sisters Patricia and Phyllis. He lived all of his life in the town of Sprague, CT., particularly in the villages of Hanover, and Baltic.
Mark graduated from Sayles Elementary School in Sprague, CT, then he briefly attended the Norwich Free Academy for High School, then transferred to Norwich Technical High School before leaving to join the Army at 17 years old. After an honorable military discharge, Mark received his GED and continued his education with receiving a Master's Degree in Business Management from the University of New Haven. Mark did all of this while working full time at Electric Boat and supporting his family.
Mark worked at Electric Boat for 36 years where he started off in the shipyard and worked his way up to management as a Contracts Change Specialist. Mark retired at the age of 55.
Throughout his life, one of Mark's greatest loves was automobiles – both modern and classic. You could always find him tinkering around and fixing them. He knew a lot about cars and could rattle off specific details pertaining to a particular car's year, make, and model. He loved going to car shows and could spend hours just walking around and taking it all in. Cars were Mark's first love that is, until a young woman named Marie Caron caught his eye, and changed his life forever.
Mark and Marie would have been married for 56 years on January 31st 2026. They have three children and six grandchildren: Mark Jr. and his wife Meg; Keith and his wife Melanie, with their two children, Noah and Autumn; and Caron (Smith) and her husband Matt, with their four children: Marie, Brianna, Amber (predeceased), and Ryan.
Although not his own, Mark highly regarded his nephew, Eric Brown, and his great-nephew, Joshua Brown, like a son, and grandson.
The people listed above they are what Mark lived for. His family was his everything.
Aside from his huge love of family, and cars, Mark's life was filled with an unrelenting Faith. He was a long time parishioner of Saint Mary's Church in Baltic, where he was an offertory usher for many years. He also attended and led many ACTS retreats during his retirement years.
An avid collector, Mark had a special interest in stamps, coins, and knives. He was also very artistic; enjoying both drawing and poetry. It wouldn't be uncommon to find him sitting in his favorite chair in the sunroom, working on a drawing to add to the collection of illustrations already penciled inside one of his thick notebooks. One of his favorite things to draw were reproductions of the artwork featured in the weekly bulletin from Saint Mary's Church – he would study them, and then recreate them perfectly on his own. And if you couldn't find him there, then he was undoubtedly perched over the kitchen table, working on a 1000 piece puzzle.
Mark was a huge fan of the New York Yankees (MLB) and the New York Giants (NFL). He also loved all things patriotic; in particular, the American flag and eagles. He loved these two things so much so that you would see them displayed on his cars, places in his house, on his shirts and hats, and even tattooed on his arm.
Mark took great pride in his home. He was always improving, adding, and creating projects for (and around) the house and yard. When he wasn't doing the endless daily tasks of home ownership, he was puttering around in his garage working on restoring his old Dodge, or fixing and improving worn trinkets, or admiring his Uncle Gene's Allis-Chalmers Tractor.
Although Mark will be greatly missed, his legacy on this Earth endures. His love for his family and his strong Faith will live on in our hearts forever.
His family would like to thank the Ambulatory Medical Center and Dr. Aujla and staff at Backus Hospital for their compassionate care and encouraging support to Mark (and his family) for the last three years.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, January 24th, 2026 at Saint Mary's Church in Baltic, CT. Interment will be private to the immediate family.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to The Amber Grace Smith Scholarship Fund at the Catholic Foundation of the Diocese of Norwich:
www.norwichdiocesedevelopment.org/Catholic-Foundation