Obituary of Mark K Heckler

Mark Kay Heckler died on January 28, 2020 after a short bout with cancer. He was 72 years old. Mark was the son of William and June Heckler and grew up in Waterville, a town near Toledo, Ohio. Mark was a stand-out cross-country runner at Anthony Wayne High School. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1966 to 1970 during the Vietnam war. After his service, he graduated from the University of Toledo with a degree in electrical engineering. He worked at Schindler Elevator Corporation for almost 40 years and retired in 2018. Schindler took Mark and his family to Switzerland for three years and then to Morris Plains, NJ where he lived the rest of his life. ​Mark served on the Morris Plains Board of Education for nine years and co-founded the Morris Plains Democratic Committee. He was active at various times of his life with the Boy Scouts and with the Morris Aero Flying Club. Mark was very technically adept and loved to fix anything he could find, including his extensive collection of antique radios. ​Mark is survived by his wife, Marilyn Heckler and his sons Evan, Alan (Gabrielle) and Tim (Samantha). He is also survived by his four grandchildren, Jacob, Thomas, Makayla and Rylan, who were the loves of his life. He was predeceased by his mother, June, and is survived by his father, William, and his siblings Bill, Eric, Beth, Kathy and Kim. ​In keeping with Mark’s wishes, there will be no formal funeral services but there will be a celebration of his life at a later date. Donations in Mark’s memory can be made to the Morris Minute Men, or the Pacific Mesothelioma Center (www.phlbi.org), an organization that does research and treatment for patients with mesothelioma. In life, Mark always wanted the facts of a situation, and the fact is, he will be greatly missed by his family and friends.