Mark Elden Rutherford

Mark Elden Rutherford, age 64, died peacefully on July 29, 2017, in Phoenix, AZ. Mark was born on March 25, 1953, to Ed and Hazel Rutherford, in Midland, TX. As a young child, his family moved to the Topeka, KS area where he eventually developed a love for math, mechanical drawing, shop and automobile mechanics classes in school. He graduated from Washburn Rural High School, Class of 1971. After high school, Mark put his mechanical aptitude to use with a job at an Allis-Chalmers tractor factory. In 1974, Mark married his high school sweetheart, LouAnn Waters. Soon after, he found what was to be one of his true callings, working as a brick and stone mason for 36 years. His attention to detail, skill, and pride in his work was unmatched. For the past seven years, Mark was able to put all of his previous professional experience to use at Lowe's. Helping customers solve their home improvement problems turned out to be very rewarding and fulfilling career for him. In 2014, he and his wife made one of the biggest decisions of their lives - to move from their home state of Kansas for over 50 years to Phoenix, Arizona to be closer to their two sons and daughter-in-law and explore t...[more]

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Southwest. Mark had many accomplishments throughout his life, including building two all-masonry houses over the years, that he and his family lived in. He loved baseball and coaching his sons' youth teams. Mark and LouAnn were even able to attend Game 7 of the 1985 World Series that his favorite team, the Kansas City Royals, won! Throughout the years, Mark enjoyed numerous rock and country concerts. He also organized countless road-trips and outdoor adventures with his family including fishing, hunting, looking for arrowheads and other Native American artifacts, and even mushroom hunting. He was a strong, kind and caring person of faith, who was always willing to help a family member or friend with whatever they needed. Mark will also be remembered for his strong work-ethic. He always provided encouragement to his children and would regularly tell them how proud he was of them. Mark's sense of humor will be missed. He was the king of "Dad Jokes" and always loved to laugh with family and friends. Mark is survived by his wife, LouAnn, of Phoenix, AZ; and his sons, Jesse (Jenn) and Jake, of Phoenix, AZ. He is preceded in death by his parents, Ed and Hazel, of Auburn, KS, and his brother Danny, of Topeka, KS. A celebration of Mark's life will be scheduled at a later date. Cards can be sent to PO Box 71007, Phoenix, AZ 85050. In place of flowers, please send a donation in memory of Mark to the Topeka Rescue Mission or your local homeless or impoverished shelter.