Mark Jonathan Drow, a loving husband as well as a gifted arborist, gardener, fisherman and dartball

player, passed away peacefully on April 23, 2025, at Aurora Zilber Family Hospice after a three-year long

battle with cancer.

Born in Milwaukee on July 15, 1953, to Bernadette (Koth) Drow and Arthur Drow, he was the second of

five children.

From an early age, he loved being outdoors and looked forward to the day his grandfather would take

him out fishing. He liked helping in the garden and enjoyed lots of outdoor sports – golf, softball and

running. He also excelled in high school, graduating near the top of his class in 1971. He was a member

of the National Honor Society, a member of the swim team and a trumpet player in the various bands.

After graduating from Greenfield High School in 1971, Mark went on to UW-Milwaukee, where he

earned a bachelor's degree in Natural Resources, while working 30 hours a week to pay tuition.

Mark started off working for the Wisconsin DNR doing creel census. He then ended up applying for a job

with Milwaukee County first as a seasonal worker and then full-time as an arborist. He loved working

with trees, especially climbing and planting as many trees as possible, especially with this pal, "GT." He

retired from his Milwaukee County in April 2004. Mark was the first certified arborist for the Milwaukee

County Park system and kept up his certification well into retirement (recertifying for the last time in

2023).

Mark enjoyed the outdoors – working in the garden and on the trees in his yard, fishing and hiking. An

avid angler, Mark owned a two-person Jon boat that he would take out to the various inland lakes in

southeastern Wisconsin and would fish as often as possible. He loved the solitude that fishing provided

and it was source of great joy for him.

A dartball player for over 50 years, Mark (aka Doc to his dartball friends) started playing in his teens in

his grandpa's basement and started off with a bunch of young players first on the "Kids" team and then

with the Slaske Cyclones. He went on to win ten State Class A dartball championships as a member of

various teams including Cruz Trucking, Hickory Inn, and Hoeneke Painting. He became a member of the

Dartball Hall of Fame in 2011. Doc's goal was always to be a good teammate and help his team win

championships (which he did many times).

Mark loved to travel and had many memorable trips with this wife all over the U.S., plus Canada, Mexico

and the Caribbean. Two best trips ever – Hawaii in January 1994, where he and his wife, Mary, were

married at Old Airport Beach State Park near Kona and in August 2019 an Alaskan cruise where he

traveled with Mary and other family members.

Mark enjoyed music throughout his life and had a wide variety of genres he enjoyed, including blues

(especially blues guitar), classical, rock, pop and even a little country – everything from BB King and

Buddy Guy; George Thorogood, U-2 and CCR; Adele, Pink, Whitney Houston; Renee Fleming, Andreas

Bocelli, Vivaldi, Corelli and Handel.

He is survived by his wife, Mary (Ramsay-Drow) and four siblings, Karen, Brian, Jennifer and Todd, as

well as six nieces and nephews (Renee, Joanna, Andrea, Arthur, Joseph and Will). He was preceded in

death by his parents, Arthur & Bernadette Drow.

Mark was a man of many layers, some surprising and others quite predictable, but he was beloved by

family, friends, neighbors, co-workers and teammates. As one neighbor commented shortly after his

death – God needed another gardener in heaven.

Mark didn't want a traditional funeral, so a celebration of life party will be held on Saturday, September

27, 2025 at the Oak Creek Community Center from 1-4pm. His ashes will be spread at various fishing

spots that he loved the most.

In honor of Mark's life, please consider planting a tree or making a donation to either St. Jude Children's

Research Hospital or Aurora Zilber Family Hospice.