Mark Cummings Obituary, Death – Mark Cummings died quietly at home, surrounded by family and friends. The world has lost a beloved teacher, parent, spouse, and friend with his death. Mark Cummings was born in McCleary, Washington, on April 6, to George and Lois Cummings. Mark was the youngest and fourth of four children. He grew up in Washington, California, and, eventually, Maui, Hawaii, where he graduated from Baldwin High School in 1977. Mark’s life has always revolved around music, and after high school, he attended the Lamont School of Music at the University of Denver, where he developed his flute skills, learned about music education, and fell in love with the Rocky Mountains. After college, he moved to Maui, where he met his adored wife Brenda (Triplett) Cummings.
In 1986, the couple married in Cashion, Oklahoma, before relocating to Grants Pass, Oregon, where Mark worked as a high school band director and they raised their two children, Amanda and Jessica. The family relocated to Colorado in 1994, where Mark earned his Master’s degree in Counseling from Colorado State University. He left a great impression as a counselor at Fort Collins High School, where he headed the Peer Counseling program until his retirement in 2013. Mark had an incredible ability to connect with others, and he assisted countless students and friends in dealing with life’s challenges. He was a living example of unconditional positive regard who enjoyed listening to people’s tales, riding BMW motorbikes, and flying small planes.
His diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in 1988 stopped him from playing, but his love of music remained, and he could be seen in the front row at Red Rocks concerts every summer. Along with friends and northern Colorado artists, he founded The Martin Initiative, a non-profit musical initiative to generate funds for MS research, in 2018. He was a voracious reader who was equally fascinated by cosmological concepts, world religions, and fantasy sagas. He will be remembered for his warm and welcoming heart, which made everyone in his presence feel at ease.
Mark was predeceased by his parents, George and Lois (Raymond) Cummings Cole, as well as his stepfather-in-law, Charlie Morgan. His wife, Brenda Cummings, and daughters, Amanda (Josh) Ouellette and Jessica Cummings, survive, as do his siblings, Michael (Bernadette) Cummings, Martha Turner, and Grant Matthews; his in-laws, Beverly Morgan and Marvin (Rosalind) Triplett; and his sister-in-law, Sonya Triplett.
