Mark Quentin Forsyth, most recently of Saratoga Springs, UT, was born to Marjorie Luverne Phillips and Robert Marion Forsyth on December 31, 1956, in Sacramento, CA. He grew up as the oldest child in his family, in the shadow of twin brothers, Jonathan and Clyde, who preceded him in death. He is survived by two younger siblings, Rhonda Renè (Byron) Smith of Orem, UT and Brett Marvin (Theresa) Forsyth of Richland, WA. He is also survived by his high school sweetheart and love of his life, Jamie K (Andreasen). They were married on May 26, 1978, in the Oakland California Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Their marriage was blessed with 5 children: Jill Suzanne (Lonnie) McGill of Saratoga Springs, UT; Benjamin Robert (Emily) Forsyth of Cedar Falls, IA; Eric McKay Forsyth of Richland, WA; Carrie Anne (Kjetil) Olsen of Drammen, Norway; and Scott Phillips (Jessica) Forsyth of Connell, WA. They have 22 grandchildren. Their home was open to others, and there are many who consider them their surrogate parents. Although too many to detail by name, you know who you are and how much he loved you. Mark passed away on November 5, 2023, in Murray, UT after suffering a series of strokes following a recent surgery.
As a young boy, he learned to work hard, love animals, and play sports. He was a very bright boy who admired his dad’s work ethic and his mother’s cooking. He also felt a deep connection to his ancestors and shared that connection with his family as it continued to grow.
He always had good grades and graduated from Eagle Point High School, in Eagle Point, OR, in 1975. He attended BYU for a few semesters before his mission to Venezuela from Feb 1976 - Jan 1978. He always wanted to be an archeologist but wasn’t able to finish his college degree until later in life. He had a variety of careers including glazing, construction, and machining.
He loved movies, Star Trek, and watching sports. He also loved to eat! He especially enjoyed steak dinners with lots of friends and family where he could share stories and jokes. As a father, he always taught his children correct principles and let them govern themselves. He was immensely proud of his wife, children, their spouses, and his grandchildren. He will be forever remembered as a grandpa who loved to spoil his grandkids.
Mark had a great love of missionary work. In addition to his Spanish-speaking mission as a young man, he also served in Yaroslavl, Russia from Oct 2010 - Sep 2012 and again in Nov 2017 – Aug 2019. He was blessed with great linguistic skills and remained fluent in Spanish and Russian. Last year (Apr 2022 – Oct 2023), he and Jamie served an emergency humanitarian mission in Romania to help Ukrainian refugees fleeing war. He considered his last mission one of the greatest privileges of his life.
His faith in Christ was remarkable, as was his love of family. He was an intelligent, hope-filled man who was generous to a fault. He wore out his life in service to others and has left a legacy of faith that will be forever remembered.
There will be a funeral in his honor on Saturday, November 11, 2023, at 10:30am at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 270 W. Harvest Hills Blvd., Saratoga Springs, UT, 84045. A livestream of the service will be available for anyone who cannot attend in person: https://www.youtube.com/@harvesthills12thward75/streams
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to help Ukrainian refugees in any capacity you see fit. Or, donations can be made directly to Jamie Forsyth to help cover end of life expenses for Mark via Venmo (For verification, the last 4 digits of her phone number are 6455.): @Jamie-K-Forsyth-1
