Mark Hertzberg

Date of Birth

Sep 30,1952

Date of Death

Jul 14,2018

William Mark Hertzberg, age 65, of Elburn, passed away on July 14, 2018, surrounded by the love of his family.
Mark was born in Sheboygan, WI, on September 30, 1952, to proud parents William and Mary (Raymond) Hertzberg.
At an early age, Mark developed a love of the outdoors through many family outings to their favorite lakes in Wisconsin. They took the “Silver Jet Stream” out to their camping spot every chance they had and spent hours fishing on the lake.
Mark grew very fond fishing, which he love more and more as he older. When he wasn’t on the water, he was hiking all of the trails in the surrounding area. His love of the woods and fields blossomed into a lifelong interest in plant science.
He attended local schools in Sheboygan and West Bend, and was on the high school swim team for some years. After graduating high school, Mark went to the University of Wisconsin at Madison where he earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s of Science degrees in Horticulture.
It was while at UW that Mark met Ellen Leue, who’s graduate office was just across the hall from his own. They said, “hello,” in passing through the hallways almost every day. Due to an injury, Mark had to have surgery on his knee and Ellen decided to visit him while he was in the hospital recovering.
Their friendship deepened into affection and love in the fall of 1976, and Mark and Ellen were united in marriage on September 1, 1979. They stayed at the university for a time and in June of 1981, they were blessed with their daughter, Sara.
After Ellen graduated in 1982, their little family moved to their new home in Batavia, then Elburn, IL. Six years later, in 1988, their family became complete with the birth of their son, Nick.
Mark worked at a variety of jobs, including being a grounds caretaker and a corn breeder in DeKalb. He even sold cut flowers from his acres of gardens at local farmer’s markets. In 1997, he started working at Ball Horticultural Co, in their PanAmerican Seed Company division. He worked his way up to be Inventory and Production Planner, until he retired 2013.
While at PanAmerican Seed, Mark made many lifelong friends while hiring and training new people. Many of his employees still wrote him letters even after he retired.
When Mark wasn’t at work, his love of travel took him and Ellen on many adventures through their years together. They both had a love for travel, all over the nation and even spent some time internationally. Mark had a passion for photography and was often found behind the camera where he captured many shots of their trips. One of their favorite vacations was to Tanzania, Africa.
Mark had a deep passion for fishing and traveled to some of the most remote places in order to find the best spots. He found solace in the quiet shady streams, but also loved lake fishing. His favorite style was fly-fishing for trout, and because of his respect for the natural world, he left the waterways he visited intact by releasing his catches.
At home, he was an outstanding cook. Mark did almost all of the family cooking from Thai to Italian fare; the kitchen was his canvas. With his Wisconsin background, he grilled year round through the snow and rain. Mark also enjoyed rare books and had quite the collection of first editions and signed copies of many novels at home.
After some years living in DeKalb, Mark and Ellen returned to Elburn where they came to call it home. In 2016 their daughter, Sara, blessed them with a granddaughter, Hazel. She was born to be “grandpa’s girl,” and just adored him and his caring attitude.
Mark was the sweetest, most caring and patient person you ever met. He did just about anything he could for the people he cared about and was always there for them when they were in need.
He will always be remembered for all the love and time he gave and will never be forgotten.
Mark is survived by his loving wife of 38 years, Ellen; two children: Sara (James) McDonald and Nick Hertzberg; one granddaughter: Hazel McDonald; a brother, Tom Hertzberg and many nieces and nephews.
He is preceded in death by his parents, William and Mary Hertzberg.
A celebration of his life will be held at Elburn Forest Preserve, 45W061 IL-38, Elburn, IL 60119, at the pavilion on Wednesday, July 18, 2018, from 2-4 p.m. to share in his memory.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Nature Conservancy, www.nature.org. Tributes may also be forwarded to the family through the Conley Funeral Home Facebook page or www.conleycare.com.

A celebration of his life will be held at Elburn Forest Preserve, 45W061 IL-38, Elburn, IL 60119, at the pavilion on Wednesday, July 18, 2018, from 2-4 p.m. to share in his memory.

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