Obituary of Mark Handeland

A memorial service for Mark Steven Handeland, 69, of Milford, will be held at 10 am, Tuesday, June 22, 2021, at First Lutheran Church in West Okoboji, Iowa.

Interment will be at Lakeview Cemetery in Spirit Lake, followed by a Celebration of Life Gathering at Gull Point Lodge, at Gull Point State Park.

Mark passed away of cancer on January 27, 2021. 

Born in Story City, Iowa, he was the son of Lester and Laurentia. He attended most of his school years in Estherville, Iowa and joined the United States Army at the age of 17. He was stationed in Germany and received the rank of Sergeant over the three years he served. Mark was in Vietnam from January to December, 1971. He was married for many years and had a family with Mary (Cook) Handeland. Later in life he spent several years with, Sharon Carter. He was employed for many years at McQuay, Crystal Tips and Pure Fishing in Spirit Lake, Iowa.

Mark enjoyed spending time with his family, traveling, loved the outdoors and truly enjoyed the simple things in life. Mark was a devoted Christian. He will always be remembered as a loving, kind and caring man. He would do anything for the ones he loved and always seemed to have the right words to put a smile on your face.

He is survived by his significant other, Sharon Carter; his daughters, Kari (Joe) Sala of Veneta, Oregon and Amy (Chad) Keifer of Sioux Falls, South Dakota; two granddaughters, Emmaline and Sophia; siblings, David Handeland, Kathy Handeland, Ann Kuiper (Tracy) and Mary Kotewa (Ken); several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents and daughter, Amanda.