Mark Whitaker, 66, passed away unexpectedly on Saturday April 8th, in Plano Texas. He was born on January 1, 1957 in Dallas, Texas to Donald J “Whit” and Patricia B (Jones) Whitaker. He is survived by his wife, Ruth Clifton, his mother Patricia, his sister Linda Gail and husband Ron Fink; his brother Larry Whitaker and wife Sherry; his brother Blake Whitaker and wife Linda Caron; his father-in-law William Clifton and wife Norma; and his aunt Bette Spears. “Uncle Mark” was special and loved by so many in the family. Those include niece Angela Fink and husband Kelly Bolton; nephew Chris Ball and wife Melissa; niece Rachael Wenokur and husband Kyle; brother-in-law Delbert Adkins and niece Natalie Hutchings; brother-in-law Steve Clifton and his children Tyler and wife Tara, Jessica Wilson and husband Ken and Ann Preussner; brother-in-law Doug Clifton and wife Robin, their children Haylie and Spencer; nephews Kevin and David Whitaker; and his Whitaker cousins. Great-nephews and nieces, too numerous to list, all adored their “Uncle Mark”. Loved ones who have gone on to Heaven ahead of Mark include his father Donald “Whit”, his grandmother Elizabeth Jones, his mother-in-law Marilyn Clifton, sister-in-law Krista Adkins, nephews Jon Whitaker and Jacob Adkins, aunt and uncle Dot and Bob Strand and their daughter Karen Caffee and aunt and uncle Julie and Bob Whitaker. Mark graduated from Richardson High School where he was a standout in football and track. He attended Texas State Technical College. He and his wife Ruth married on Valentine’s Day in 1990 and have since enjoyed 33 years of marriage. Mark was a licensed irrigator and owned his own company for over 30 years, where he enjoyed teaching irrigation and mentoring others. He had a passion for fishing, pistol competitions, woodworking and most importantly Jesus. Mark believed a bad day fishing was better than a good day doing anything else. He was a proud American and a proud Texan which he reminded those of us from north of the Red River. He loved being outdoors and was most himself when surrounded by nature. Mark was thoughtful, considerate, loving, kind, gentle and funny. He loved people and most importantly loved making them smile. Mark was always there to lend a helping hand. Mark will be missed deeply by his friends and family. Join us on Saturday, May 20, 2023 at 11:00 am at Epiphany Church, 421 Custer Rd, Richardson, TX 75080 to celebrate Mark’s life. The family has asked that attendees wear color. There will be refreshments and a chance to share stories following the service. In lieu of flowers and because Mark never missed a chance to thank officers and veterans for their service, the family wishes memorial donations would be made to Tunnel to Towers Foundation at www.t2t.org. If you are unable to attend in person, the church will be broadcasting Mark’s Celebration of life, live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/epiphanyepiscopal/videos/?ref=page_internal Cremation arrangements by Lone Star Cremation.