Mark Steven Soldat

Mark Steven Soldat, 75, died April 18, 2022 at Arbor Springs in West Des Moines, Iowa. Mark has been cremated per his wishes without any formal viewing. A celebration of his life will be held in July of 2022.
Mark was born February 18, 1947, in Webster City to parents, Breta and James Robert "Bob" Soldat. He grew up in Johnston, Iowa and lived most of his life in Iowa in the Des Moines area and the small town of Algona. He is survived by his partner Jeanne Anderson; his two children, Nathan Soldat and Jesse Soldat; their mother, Marcia Soldat, as well as Nathan's wife Sela, and their two children Akil Soldat and Zuhura Soldat. Mark is also survived by his siblings, Craig Soldat and his wife Marianne Ferro, Christopher Soldat and his husband Todd Simpson and Lisa Soldat.
Mark graduated from Johnston High School in 1965. While in high school, he performed in high school theater productions on a regular basis, mainly musicals. He also participated in Summer Operetta Workshop for many summers from its early beginnings in the 1960s. This was a summer group of Des Moines area teens and young adults that performed Gilbert & Sullivan operettas with performances at the Des Moines Community Playhouse. He enjoyed roles in The Mikado and many other Gilbert & Sullivan favorites. During his senior year, he lived as a foreign exchange student in Buenos Aires, Argentina which was an experience he would refer to throughout his life.
He attended Grinnell University and during that time, he spent a year abroad at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland which is also an experience he loved to talk about. In 1969 he earned a BA Degree from Grinnell University. He went on to study Law at Drake University and graduated with a degree in 1974. He practiced law in Algona from 1974 to 2003. During that time, he also served as the Kossuth County Attorney. He spent the latter half of his career practicing law in the Des Moines area and was prominent in the field of Workers Compensation Law.
Early in his career, he famously worked pro-bono to save a beautiful tree canopy from destruction stemming from a road expansion in Algona. While ultimately unsuccessful in that battle, the spirit of fighting against greed, power and corruption embodied the way he lived his life until the day he transitioned to another world. His favorite quote was from Martin Luther King Jr., and he kept a little plaque on his desk that was engraved with those words: "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." Mark worked tirelessly for justice and the underdog throughout his long and successful career.
Mark was particularly proud of being a founding member of the Iowa Association for Justice Workers' Compensation Core Group, his numerous Iowa Supreme Court cases establishing legal precedent which benefitted injured workers, and the fact that he actively practiced law and tried cases for 47 years (1974 through 2021).
Mark loved people. He was selfless and never hesitated to help anyone in need. He was a kind and loving soul and had a truly brilliant mind. Mark absolutely loved music and adored getting out on the dance floor to nearly any type of music. He was an avid Iowa Hawkeye and New York Yankees fan. He also loved to travel and experience different cultures around world, which reflected his world view that people were inherently good and worth fighting for. Over his lifetime he traveled to 5 of the 7 continents and would often reminisce about his experience in a hot air balloon watching the great migration in Kenya. He always looked forward to going on the annual Blues Cruise. He believed in living life to the fullest and which is exactly what he did.
Above all though, Mark most loved his family and friends and would do anything necessary to support them. Some of the last words Mark spoke before passing were about how much he loved his family. Mark was truly a special person, and his kind soul and loving spirit will truly be missed.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to The Iowa Foundation for Justice. We hope to see everyone in July and will update this obituary with details once they are finalized.
Online condolences are welcome at www.IlesCares.com.
Arrangements by Iles Westover Chapel
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