Mark Steven Crary

Mark Steven Crary was born on September 23, 1961 in Brevard, NC to proud parents David Leigh Crary and Merlyn Davis Crary. He left this world on December 29, 2015. He was survived by his father, David Leigh Crary, his siblings: David L.Crary, Raymond B. Crary, and Elisabeth Crary Parris, a daughter: May E. Crary, one granddaughter, and his fiancee, Gayle Hall Mullen. Diagnosed with severe arthritis when very young, Mark made his living repairing and building things for other people when he was up to working. He spent nearly his entire adult life, three decades, taking care of other people, first his bedridden mother and then his father, paralyzed by Parkinson’s. His greatest grief in life about his limited finances and lack of freedom was the complete loss of visits from his offspring for the last 15 years of his life. However, he never stopped loving them and led his life as simply as possible in order to leave behind a legacy for their benefit and security.
Although Mark struggled with depression throughout his life, he was always ready with a smile, a quirky joke, an offer of food, coffee, or rum and a hug for family and friends that came to visit and seemed to need comfort. Mark had an incredibly beautiful soul, too caring for his own good. He tried to drown his loneliness and severe pain at times, but it ate away at him constantly. Still, he got up every morning, met his responsibilities, dressed and fed his father, lifted him into his chair, cleaned him up, took care of all his needs all day, and got up in the middle of the night twice every night to meet his medical needs. Despite his own constant, often agonizing pain from arthritis and cancer, he refused to put his father into a home or put him off on others, right up until the day he literally could no longer even stand up on his own, four days before he died. Even then, hours away from death, Mark was only worried about those that he left behind, not his own demise.
Mark never, ever walked away from a responsibility, although they had walked away from him a time or two in life. If he made a promise, he kept it.
Mark was constant...like a boulder in a stream... Life flowed around him and past him, but he stayed the same day after day, year after year. Even though he might have gotten uprooted by turbulent waters a time or two, he didn't change. He loved whom he loved and he loved what he loved to the end of time. He just couldn't understand the tendency of other people to change their minds.
To Mark, forever really was forever.

Mark Steven Crary
Sept 23, 1961-Dec 29, 2015
Travelers Rest, SC
“My mama taught me a lesson I almost think I had rather not know, to need people because you love them, instead of loving them because you need them.” Mark Crary