Mark William Lisonbee

Mark William Lisonbee passed away suddenly after a year long struggle with mental illness that took his life on Thursday, December 26, 2024, after a beautiful and rich life filled with joy, laughter, and family memories.
Mark was born on May 20, 1961, in Grants Pass, Oregon, to Alvin and Louise Lisonbee. Mark was the youngest child of his family, with three older siblings: David, Jana, and Deanne. As the baby brother, Mark brought immense joy to his family. He was a naturally social person from the time he was a little boy. Mark was always happy and positive, a jokester at home and at school. He excelled at all sports and played competitive golf in high school.
After high school, Mark attended Brigham Young University and served a faithful mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to Lisbon, Portugal. Mark grew to genuinely love the people, language, and culture of Portugal.
While studying at BYU, Mark met the love of his life, Terri Webb. They were set up on a blind date by Terri's cousin and went to lunch together right before Terri was set to move back home to Arizona. After Terri moved, they talked every night on the phone for hours, getting to know each other on a deep level before they went on a proper date. Mark moved to Arizona, in part because it was getting very expensive to call Terri every night.
After dating for six months, Terri went to the Mesa Temple to pray about whether she should marry Mark. Mark then took Terri on a drive to the same temple, parked in the same parking space, and asked Terri to marry him, using a huge box with the engagement ring inside to tease Terri into thinking he wasn't going to propose. They were married in the Salt Lake Temple on May 6, 1983.
Mark was a natural entrepreneur throughout his life. He owned a jewelry company, with four stores in Utah and Arizona; he worked in building maintenance; he spent many years working at various health supplement companies; he worked for several years at Woodland Publishing; and he spent the last 15 years of his life working in investment banking.
Mark and Terri were so excited to start their family after they married. However, they weren't blessed with children for several years. In the meantime, they traveled together and shared their vast musical talents with people at weddings and other events as "The Westons" (because Lisonbee was too hard to pronounce). At one point, they sent a demo tape to Warner Brothers executives in Nashville. Executives thought they had real talent, so much so that Mark and Terri were ready to move to Nashville. However, the executives told them they would need to give up everything else to become successful, including their plans to have a family. That was a deal breaker for Mark and Terri. Having children was more important to them, so they gave up on that dream and went back home to work in music production.
While the couple was living in California, Mark's coworker heard about a baby that needed adoptive parents. Mark and Terri wrote a letter to the birth mom, even though she had another couple in mind. When she read their letter, the birth mom knew Mark and Terri were meant to be her baby's parents. They adopted Lindsi Louise Lisonbee in 1990. As luck would have it, Terri got pregnant 1½ months later, and Carli Nikelle was born in 1991. Several years later, Mark and Terri weren't sure if they would be able to have more children. Terri's dying grandmother told them that they needed to keep trying because a little boy was coming to their family. Christian Mark was born in 1996.
Mark loved giving his kids beautiful and meaningful experiences in their lives, like surprising the family with fun trips. He attended countless school activities and athletic games throughout the years. When his daughter Lindsi played on the BYU women's soccer team, Mark was such a big fan that his family joked he thought he was one of the players. At one point, Mark accepted a particular job because he could create his own schedule, making it easier for him to attend all of his kids' games. In short, Mark lived for his family. And he loved making them laugh.
Mark built wonderful relationships of trust and friendship with his kids. Their friends loved coming to Mark and Terri's house, and Mark was usually the life of the party. His kids wanted to do their best because they didn't want to disappoint their dad. When they snuck out of the house on occasion (usually to walk to a nearby gas station for treats), Mark watched from the window to make sure they were OK. He knew if there was a real problem, they would call him, because his kids could tell Mark anything. He listened and didn't judge, always trying to understand what they were going through. He was never quick to respond in anger or find fault with his kids.
Mark truly embodied Mosiah 2:17, because he knew that "when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God." Serving the Savior was very important to Mark, and he loved connecting with people and meeting their greatest needs.
As a bishop for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Mark was deeply empathetic. He could relate to anyone and knew he could make a difference in their lives. When people were in crisis, they knew they could call Mark for help. And on youth activity nights, Mark took breaks from doing interviews to run into the gym and play basketball with the teenage boys in his suit and tie.
He loved serving with some of his best friends in a stake presidency, getting to know and love even more people in the process. Young people would wait until Mark was available to renew their temple recommends, because they felt most comfortable talking to him.
Because of Mark's counsel and example, many young single adults in his stake wanted to serve full-time missions. Mark even went through a 12-step addiction recovery program to better understand those he counseled who were in pain. Mark put in the time and effort so he could understand what people loved and better connect with them on their level. And a crucial part of that preparation was making sure he was in tune with the Spirit.
Another big part of Mark's church service, and a big part of what made him one of a kind, was his humor. Mark loved giving talks at stake conference. His talks were 15 minutes of comedy, with pure gospel doctrine weaved throughout. His kids hated it when he spoke, because they never knew what he would say next. But stake members loved it, of course. Mark always made sure that his gospel messages centered around His love for the Savior. "And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins."
As a grandpa, there was no one better. Mark doted on his three grandkids, Khai, Charli, and Mac. He never missed a milestone, and they adored their Papa. Mac ran with glee to his Papa whenever he saw Mark. Mark's love for his grandkids was very individual. He loved them for what made them special and unique.
You could always count on Mark to make you laugh and make things fun. His kids' friends loved him and knew they were always welcome in the Lisonbee home. Mark couldn't go to the grocery store without stopping to chat with someone he knew. In fact, Terri and Mark began driving separately to church because Mark spent so much time after the meeting was over, catching up with friends. People flocked to Mark because they felt that he truly cared for them.
We love you, Mark, Dad, and Papa. The world is a lot dimmer without you in it. You will always be the heartbeat of our family.
Mark is survived by his wife, Terri; their three children: Lindsi (Rich), Carli, and Christian (Maizi); and three grandchildren: Khai, Charli, and Mac. Mark was preceded in death by his parents Alvin and Louise Lisonbee and two sisters, Jana Lisonbee and Deanne Krieger.
Funeral services will be held on Friday, January 3, at 12 pm at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints at the Deer Creek Chapel 1102 South Center Street, Midway, Utah 84049. A visitation will be held prior to the service on Thursday night, January 2, at (5:30-7:30 pm) and Friday morning, January 3 (10:30 am-11:30 am) at the church. Interment at Orem City Cemetery, 1520 North, 800 East, Orem, Utah.
to view the services online for Mark please click this link https://view.oneroomstreaming.com/index.php?data=MTczNTU4MTQ4NzM0MzE1MyZvbmVyb29tLWFkbWluJmNvcHlfbGluaw==