Mark David Statchen

Mark David Statchen, husband of Brett Capshaw and father of Michael Statchen, died peacefully on April 26, 2025, with his family by his side. Mark was born on July 2, 1957, in New Britain, the third of four sons born to the late Joann and Richard Statchen. Dick and Joann had their hands full with that foursome.
Mark embarked on a long career with the Department of Correction in 1983 at the Hartford Community Correctional Center. His transfer from HCCC was celebrated by an unprecedented ceremonial escort when he exited the facility for the last time in 1999. Mark was well regarded and respected by both the population and his peers. He was known for his disregard for what he deemed to be redundant paperwork. Mark's co-workers called him MacGyver due to his determined ability to fix anything. He was a member of the CERT team and was selected as Operations Supervisor of the Year by his peers in 2010. Mark retired in 2013 after 29 years of service.
Brett and Mark recently celebrated their 42nd wedding anniversary. Together, they enjoyed many adventures traveling throughout Europe, Costa Rica and Alaska. They also visited many of our National Parks. They were not known for their conventional approach to these excursions, but frequently found themselves in challenging situations. Their most recent adventure was their 13 day rafting trip in the Grand Canyon in 2022. For more than 40 years, they enjoyed their annual family vacation to Cape Cod, a place of connection, relaxation and serenity.
Mark was profoundly devoted to his son, Michael. Working the evening shift for DOC, he was able to volunteer often at Michael's elementary school, the only Dad on site. He embraced every opportunity dressing up as Clifford or other characters on hot days without complaint. He was incredibly touched one year when every student made him a Valentine to express their gratitude for his contributions. Mark was always ready to help with moves, car issues, or home repairs. They always shared a special bond.
Mark served as captain of his pool team for many years. One of his highlights was guiding his team to the state championships where they qualified for the national competition in Las Vegas in 2010. He enjoyed every team he led and made many close friends.
Mark enjoyed the outdoors, reading, tinkering, helping others, collecting beer glasses and coozies, volunteering at Food Share, and spending time on the water, especially on his pontoon boat on Bolton Lake. He was also an avid UCONN basketball and New England Patriots fan.
Mark endured years of serious illness without complaint demonstrating both tenacity and grace. He was fortunate to have an extensive team of medical professionals at St. Francis, especially Dr. Alessia Donadio, Dr. Christine Vigneault and the nursing staff.
In addition to his wife and son, Mark leaves three brothers, Rick (Pat), Michael, Ned (Liz), many nieces and nephews, his sister-in-law, Laura Kramer (Russ) and his brother-in-law, Sean (Marinka). He was pre-deceased by two brothers-in-law, Brad and Brian Capshaw.
Calling hours will be from 4 - 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 8, 2025, at the John F. Tierney Funeral Home, 219 W. Center Street, Manchester. Mark's close friends and family are invited to a Celebration of Life after the calling hours.
Memorial donations in Mark's name may be made to Connecticut Foodshare at https://www.ctfoodshare.org. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Mark, please visit our floral store.