Mark’s Obituary Mark Allen Datte, 64, husband, father, grandfather and brother, died peacefully at home surrounded by family on May 28, 2019, after a long battle with Lou Gehrig’s Disease (ALS). Mark was born on December 30th, 1954 the son of Theodore M. Datte, Jr. and Luella (Schoenbine) Datte, raised by parents Agnes H. Datte and Theodore. Mark was a life-long member of Zion Lutheran Church where he was baptized, confirmed & married.
Mark met Bonnie L. Stieve, the love of his life and married her on November 6, 1976. They were together 45 years & blessed with 2 daughters: Angela R. Datte & Ashley K. Warmbier & 3 grandchildren: Ariel, Blake & Jaxx. Mark worked for a family-owned furniture store in Bay City throughout high school, so when he was hired to start working at the Grey Iron plant after graduation, he felt very fortunate & grateful to family who helped him get his foot in the “gate”.
Mark wore many hats during his tenure at GM but the positions that were best suited to his skill sets & most fulfilling were working as a Job Molder & Industrial Radiographer. When management closed both those departments to out all functions, Mark was then appointed by his peers as their hourly Suggestion Awards Coordinator which deeply touched Mark. He knew that they recognized his knowledge & experience would be beneficial.
More importantly, their trust in him to be the person negotiating on their behalf to be fairly compensated for their valuable suggestions meant more to him than even the security of his position. In addition to feeling proud of his accomplishments, Mark was honored with a patent award by GM for a new process he worked on. Because of his diverse knowledge, experience & work ethic, Mark’s peers, supervisors, engineers & management all relied on his expertise, creativity and natural problem-solving talents until he retired on March 1, 2016 after 43 years of dedicated service at GM.
Mark enjoyed music, dancing, singing, golfing, travelling, entertaining family and friends, current events & politics, watching romantic comedies & dramas like Pretty Woman, American President (his favorite), Sleepless In Seattle, Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile & the soft spot he developed for his Yorkshire Terriers, especially Lexi. Mark loved do-it yourself projects & took great pride in keeping up his home and landscaping the yard. Mark is preceded in death by Theodore M. Datte, Jr.; Luella (Schoenbine) Datte; Agnes H. Datte; Warren & Katherine VonEitzen; Theodore C. Datte, III; Ronald Berlin; Gary Barron.
He is survived by his wife Bonnie; daughters Angela & Ashley; grandchildren Ariel, Blake, & Jaxx, sisters Sharon Berlin & Ruth Ann Barron; brother Chuck Datte; sisters-in-law Paulette & Marilyn Datte; & many nieces & nephews. Honoring Mark’s final wishes cremation has taken place. A memorial service will be held 11:00 a.m. Monday, June 3, 2019 at Zion Ev.
Lutheran Church (Seidler & 11 Mile Rd. -Beaver). Rev.
Andrew P. Menz will officiate. Burial of Mark’s cremains will take place in the church cemetery. Mark’s family will receive friends at the church on Monday from 10:00 a.m. until time of service.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Zion Ev. Lutheran Church (Beaver) or the ALS of Michigan, Inc. “PEACE I LEAVE WITH YOU, MY PEACE I GIVE UNTO YOU: NOT AS THE WORLD GIVETH, GIVE I UNTO YOU. LET NOT YOUR HEART BE TROUBLED, NEITHER LET IT BE AFRAID”.
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