Paying tribute to Mark Shinn

On the morning of Saturday, January 7th, Mark Shinn passed away unexpectedly. There is not an adequate way to express the hole this has left in our hearts. His wife of thirty-five years, Shari, has lost her love and soulmate. We are setting up this fund to help offset the sudden expenses for burial costs and to help his wife to have one less thing to worry about during this difficult time.

In 1995, Mark came up to Alaska on a two-week vacation with his good friend, Tommy, and fell in love with the state. He moved his wife and his young stepson, Jake, who was thirteen at the time, to live here. They made it their home for the next three decades. He worked for Ferguson for twenty-seven years as an outside salesman, where he was respected and loved by his clients and coworkers.

Mark had a passion for the outdoors and was on the Kenai River every chance he could get in the summers, often out on a boat with friends. He would go “stupid chicken” hunting with his wife. His door was always open to company and everyone knew they were more than welcome to come over and visit.

His wife said that Mark would tell her every morning how much he loved her. They didn’t like being apart for even a night. They both liked to sit and drink coffee in the morning with their beloved dogs, Diesel and Annie.

He was a loving father to his daughter, Erica, and his stepson, Jake. He always made time for his three grandchildren: Amelia, Mynah, Dexter, and Ruthann. He loved to Facetime with Amelia once a week so he could see how big she was getting. Dexter “Bug” would say that his grandpa could help him fix anything. If Dexter couldn’t figure it out, he would tell his parents to take him over to see his grandpa so they could work on it together.

Thank you so much for any help you can give. All funds will go to Shari Shinn to ensure that she is free to remember the wonderful man she spent her life with.