Melvyn I. Mark

Melvyn I. Mark
Melvyn I. Mark was born in Chicago, Ill., in 1935. He became a lifetime resident of Marin County in 1964, and died on April 15, 2024, at age 89. Mel's life was filled with challenge, success and happiness, and in his words, the result of remarkable "good luck."
He attended Chicago Public Schools. The highlight was not academic, however, but was being a part of his high school basketball team that in 1952, won the citywide championship. After college at the University of Illinois, Mel went to the University of Michigan Law School and graduated in 1959, with Honors and Distinction. He then married Judith Shapiro, whom he had known since she was 10. They moved to Washington, D.C., where Mel started his career in the Attorney General's Honors Program at the Department of Justice, a program established to attract highly qualified young lawyers. Four years later, they moved to California where Mel became an associate in the law firm of Pillsbury, Madison and Sutro. In 1967, he joined the firm of Eisner and Titchell and later became a senior partner in the firm to be known as Titchell, Maltzman, Mark and Ohleyer. Mel had the distinction of being invited to join the American College of Trusts and Estates (ACTEC) and the American College of Real Estate Lawyers (ACREL), each consisting of the very best lawyers in their respective fields. He retired from the practice of law at age 80, at which time he was practicing in the firm of Feurzeig, Mark and Chavin, LLP. Mel was especially thankful that through his years of practice as a tax, estate planning and real estate attorney he developed many long term client relations and friendships, often spanning more than 35 years, and several generations of a family.
Being a lawyer gave Mel opportunities to be associated with many tax exempt charitable organizations. He organized and/or served as President of The Herbst Foundation, The Edward M. Nagel Foundation and The Olympic Club Foundation, all of which went on to successfully pursue their respective charitable missions.
Mel treasured the time he spent with Judy, his daughters, grandchildren and friends, whether dining, hiking, biking, golfing, playing tennis and kayaking or walking his dogs on Mt. Tam and at Pt. Reyes. In his younger years, he enjoyed backpacking on many of the challenging California trails and especially in Yosemite which he thought was the most beautiful place on earth. Mel hiked in remote wilderness in Northern Alaska; trekked both the Milford Sound in New Zealand and the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal; and climbed to the peak of Mt. Shasta and near the top of Mt. Rainier. After getting hooked on fly fishing, there were annual trips to the Bighorn River in Montana and elsewhere in search of beautiful trout to catch and release.
Mel and Judy enjoyed traveling to many foreign countries. A particular highlight was their trip to Moscow in 1990, as part of a select delegation made up of leading American politicians, business lawyers and businessmen who met inside the Kremlin with Soviet officials to discuss the possibility of the Communist Soviet Union's ability to establish a free market economy. The meetings ended with a grand dinner attended by the then Soviet Prime Minister Gorbachev. In contrast, their many international trips were solely for joy and fun, where they often played golf in countries including Scotland, Japan and Italy. Back home, Mel enjoyed his 47 year membership in The Olympic Club where he could most recently be seen in the gym, pool, or dining room.
After 60 years of a joyful marriage, Judy died unexpectedly in 2019. They are survived by three daughters and seven grandchildren. Mel asked that there be no formal gathering by reason of his passing except for his direct family who shares his final message: "Follow your dreams and shoot for the stars; fill your lives with challenge and happiness; and commit to always give more than you take in every walk of life."