Mark A. Foreman

Mark Allen Foreman, 91, passed away Sunday, February 19, 2023 in Columbia, MO. Mark was born May 24, 1931 to Josephine (Zimmerman) and Daniel Ernest Foreman at their family farm. The small livestock and poultry farm was in Adams County, South of Decatur in NE Indiana and this is where Mark and older brother, Howard, grew up.

His first eight years of schooling began in a one room, eight grade school house a mile walk from the farm. There were five other students in his first grade class. After school, there were chores to be attended to back home. Following eighth grade, he attended Junior and Senior High School in Decatur, IN. Each summer, in addition to farm chores, Mark tended his 4-H beef calves. Up until his senior year, he participated in the Adams County 4-H beef calf program and this provided him with much needed funds to enroll as a freshman at Purdue University.

In addition to the work on the farm and school, the boys became very involved in playing Hawaiian music. At 10 years old, Mark, his brother, and two friends qualified to attend the International Guitar League Convention in Cleveland, OH where they won first place in the Ensemble category.

In high school, Mark participated in various school activities. He enjoyed singing choral music, lettered in his last 3 years with the football team, and participated in several different speech class competitions. His skills won the Northern Indiana Rotary District Group Discussion Contest.

Mark then attended Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN where he majored and graduated with a Bachelor’s in Agriculture Economics. As a freshman, he pledged to Sigma Pi fraternity and at the beginning of his sophomore year, he auditioned for and was asked to join the internationally acclaimed Purdue Varsity Glee Club. The glee club had 56 voices who dressed in black tails at all their performances. Under the direction of Albert Stewart, they became one of the most outstanding college glee clubs in the nation. Purdue was recognized as having the largest acoustical concert halls in America, seating up to 6350.

A glee club member was expected to commit over 700 hours each year to the unique Purdue Musical Organization. In the summer of 1950, UNESCO invited and sent the Glee club to tour Germany and render support towards their restoration after WWII. Mark was one of several lead soloists in the club for two years and in his last year, they performed over 100 concerts. They were considered ambassadors of Purdue both in the US and Internationally.

In 1951, Mark met Joan Menge of Fort Wayne, IN who, at the time, was attending Stephens College in Columbia, MO. They were married in Fort Wayne, IN while Mark completed his senior year at Purdue, graduating in 1953.

In his freshman year at Purdue, Mark had enrolled in the Army ROTC program which required a commitment of two years of active-duty service in the US Army following graduation. In October 1953, Mark and Joan moved to Hampton Roads, VA where he reported for additional officer training at the Army Transportation Corp at Ft. Eustis. That December, he was given his overseas assignment. He traveled by ship, then train, to report to duty in February 1954 to the 7th Army Detached Transportation Company in Heilbronn, Germany. Joan joined him five months later. Their first son, Paul, was born September 8, 1954 in the 7th Army former German hospital in Stuttgart. Mark and family returned to Fort Wayne via Fort Hamilton, NY and he was discharged from the Army in October 1955.

Back in Fort Wayne, Mark was offered a sales position and became employed by Central Soya’s McMillen Feed Mills, Feed Division, at the time a leading US soybean processing and animal feed production company. There, he was trained to be a territorial sales manager. The company’s production of livestock and poultry feeds were sold to grain dealers who, in turn, sold those products to their farm customers. Mark worked diligently with the company for nine years. In late 1960, he was promoted to territorial successor manager in the established Columbia, MO area territory. His new territory covered a wide range of counties across central Missouri and the family moved from Salem, IN to Columbia.

In 1964, after 10 years with Central Soya, Mark decided to change his career path and become an agent for the Lincoln National Life Insurance Company in Columbia for the next 44 years. Over those years, he earned accolades from both his primary company and from peers and agents of other fine companies. He ranked in the top 1% of all Lincoln producers in the US in 1990 and qualified as a 30-year member of the International Million Dollar Round Table. For the last 30 years with Lincoln, he consistently ranked in the top 10% of all producers in the US with Lincoln Financial Group, the marketing arm of the company. In 2010, he sold his practice to Neil Carr, a long-term associate of his office, which was last located in the Cherry Hill of Columbia.

Mark’s wife, Joan, joined his staff in 1986. Before and after this time, Joan and Mark enjoyed 26 wonderful, earned, annual trips as guests of the Lincoln National Agent’s Convention’s in Canada, Hawaii, and other scenic cities and hotels in the US and Europe. This provided them opportunity to extend their time and enjoy the nearby scenic locations following these conventions in the US.

In July 1965, following a presentation at an Optimist Club meeting, Mark and two other members were asked by the program presenter, Lewis Stoerker, a professor at MU, to join him and assemble a small group to create a memorial for the Stoerker’s 9 year old daughter, Carol, who had been struck by a car in 1961. Mark knew Lewis as a friend and choir member from his Presbyterian Church choir. Lewis asked Mark and three others to help create a non-profit corporation to raise funds to buy the land surrounding the well-known rock bridge, 5 miles South of Columbia to create a large park. By acquiring about 2000 acres of the beautiful, rugged land surrounding rock bridge, the park would serve as a memorial for Carol. Mark was asked to serve as both director and secretary. The original team numbered 5 men and 2 women and two months later, 6 outstanding men were added to meet the goal of buying the land. They raised $180,000 and obtained the State Park Board’s recommendation to gain a federal funding grant matching the $180,000, providing $360,000 needed to pay the 9 different land owners. The 9 tracts of land were then transferred by the corporation to the Missouri State Park Board in 1967-68 totaling 1,830 acres. Mark served as the official secretary of Rock Bridge Memorial Park, Inc. during the corporation’s existence. The beautiful Rock Bridge Memorial State Park now totals 2,373 acres with over 25 miles of trails. The prior landowners were very pleased with their decision to sell their land to create a park that will be enjoyed into perpetuity.

Throughout his accomplished life, Mark was an active member of the First Presbyterian Church and a member of the church choir since 1961. He was an ordained Deacon and Elder, served as a trustee, and was asked to serve on several ministerial committees. Mark was also an active member of the Columbia NW Rotary Club since 1971, and served as the president in 1974-75.

Mark is survived by his wife, Joan and son, Paul Michael Foreman. Mark also enjoyed a precious few years spending time with his goddaughter Ayla Granberg Hidborg.

He is preceded in death by his parents; sons, Walter and Stephen Foreman, brother; Howard Foreman.

A visitation will be held Tuesday, March 7th from 4-7pm at Memorial Funeral Home in Columbia. A memorial service followed by a time of fellowship will be held, 1pm Wednesday, March 8th at 1st Presbyterian Church in Columbia.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations be made to the First Presbyterian Church, 16 Hitt St, Columbia, MO 65201 or to the Friends of Rock Bridge Memorial Park, PO Box 7642, Columbia, MO 65205.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.memorialfuneralhomeandcemetery.com for the Foreman family.