Lt. Col. Mark Weber

Lieutenant Colonel Weber was a native of St. Paul, Minnesota. He began his military career as a JROTC cadet at Cretin High School in 1985 at the age of 14. He enlisted as a Military Police soldier in 1989, serving for nearly five years in the Minnesota Army National Guard while attending college. In 1994, he received his active duty Regular Army commission as a military police second lieutenant. Mark served for 16 years in the Regular Army before making a transition to the full-time Minnesota National Guard (AGR) in 2009 in order to be near his father-in-law, who was battling his own cancer. Little more than a year later, after being recognized nationally as one of the best officer recruiters in the country and while preparing for a deployment to Afghanistan, Mark was diagnosed with Stage IV gastrointestinal cancer. He was married to Kristin Coughlin of Hastings, Minnesota and they resided in Rosemount, Minnesota with their three sons - Matthew, Joshua, and Noah. Mark passed away surrounded by family on Thursday, June 13, at 4:14 PM (or 1614 in military time as Mark would say). Mark's wish to die at home, embraced by love, and a view of his beloved garden was granted to him. Mark often quoted Mark Frost - "Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body. But rather, to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming .... WOW what a ride!" Well Mark, mission accomplished.