Mark Carl Brackebusch was born on December 15, 1949, at Madigan General Hospital in Tacoma, Washington, to Genevieve Gorney Brackebusch and Carl Otto Brackebusch. A memorial service for Mark will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, September 14, at Trinity Lutheran Church, 6784 Cody Street, Bonners Ferry.
It is believed that Mark died from exposure while hiking in the Shorty Peak area in Boundary County, near Bonners Ferry, Idaho. He was declared deceased as of January 15, 2024. His body has not yet been found.
Mark graduated from the University of Oregon, in 1972, with a degree in physics and an honors degree in economics. His academic honors included Phi Beta Kappa membership, an Outstanding Premedical Student Award, and the Undergraduate Award in Analytical Chemistry.
In 1976, he graduated from the University of Oregon School of Medicine and was admitted to the American Board of Anesthesiology. Mark was an anesthesiologist for over 36 years.
Mark was a passionate outdoorsman and an experienced mountain climber. For over 25 years, he and Teresa enjoyed backcountry skiing in British Columbia, the Selkirks, the Cascades and the Olympics. Together, they climbed to the top of Mt. Rainier, Mt. Adams, Mt. Baker, Mt. Hood, Mt. Shasta, Mt. St. Helens, and many other peaks in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana, summiting all of them multiple times. When they were both working full-time, their friends in Olympia, Washington, called them “the weekend warriors.”
After retiring to Bonners Ferry, Idaho, Mark and Teresa joined a local hiking group, now called the Kaniksu Hikers. The friendships Mark built with his fellow hikers and all those he met over the years were priceless. He was always willing to share his extensive medical knowledge to anyone who needed his advice. Mark enjoyed cooking vegetarian meals with Teresa, gardening, propagating trees, programming computers, building electronic devices, and reading. His mind was never idle.
Mark had a kind and gentle spirit. He was soft-spoken and patient and had an infectious smile. He would sometimes say that he hoped people in this world would strive to be more humble. Above all, Mark will be dearly missed by his family, friends, and colleagues. Life is just not the same without Mark.
He leaves behind his wife, Teresa Shattuck, siblings Ann, Ruth, Kirk, Lois, and Joyce, stepsons Riley McGavick and Weston Taylor, step- grandchildren Nya and Kaden Taylor, and 11 nieces and nephews.