Astoria, Oregon - Mark Ernest Tischer entered eternal rest, peacefully, at his Svensen home on June 27th 2026 . Mark was born March 25, 1932 to Ernest and Ida Tischer in Hankinson, North Dakota. He was one of 10 siblings including a twin sister Margaret, brothers Leonard, Dennis, Ruben, Ray, Sisters Mabel, Verna, Viola and Elaine. Mark spent his childhood and attended schools in the tiny farming town of Hankinson, North Dakota.

Soon after high school, he enlisted in the Army. He was stationed at Ft. Campbell Kentucky for four years serving as a member of the military police. Half of his company was deployed overseas during the Korean war. As luck would have it, he was in the half that remained stateside. Mark was very proud to have served his country in the Army.

Luck was still on his side in his early twenties when he met the love of his life Shirley Stensrud at a local dance. They were married on November 20,1955 in New Effington, South Dakota. The couple welcomed their 5 children, Tony, Scott, Jeff, Steve and Karen.

Mark and Shirley ventured from the farmlands of the Dakotas, heading west and following Mark's work. Without a final destination in mind, travelling and working along the way for large construction companies who built infrastructures and buildings at that time. He worked on I-5 and buildings in the Portland area like the Lloyd Center. He worked on a rock crusher in Clatskanie, a lumber mill in Warrenton and finally worked the rest of his career as a millwright at the Wauna Mill and settling in Svensen. Watching his brothers pass away at early ages, he decided to retire at 62 so he could enjoy "a few years of retirement". 32 years later, he had the retirement life figured out.

Retired life for Mark consisted of getting up early every morning making coffee for the local crew down at the wickiup senior center. He maintained the senior center as a volunteer for 3 decades. He took his job as head bingo caller very seriously. Hunting and fishing with his sons were important to him, spending hours in the woods looking for Elk and hours in the boat trying to hook that elusive Salmon. Many times successful, but if not, always glad to be enjoying the outdoors with his sons and grandchildren. He took great pride in his yard and garden every summer. He and Shirley spent a lot of time traveling and enjoying the company of their friends and family. They would make yearly trips to Arizona to meet up with siblings and their spouses. Mark and Shirley traveled to Washington DC one year to be honored as a veteran at the time of the Korean war. They visited many sites in our nation's capital and remembered that trip fondly. His greatest retirement job was that of "Poppy". He was so proud of his grandchildren and great grandchildren. In November of 2025, Mark and Shirley were celebrated by friends and family for their 70th wedding anniversary and renewed their vows at a church service. Mark had a strong faith in God and was a member of the Peace First Lutheran Church. He told us that "the Lord is with me" in his final days. That brought us all great comfort.

Mark is joined in heaven by those that have gone before him, his parents, his siblings, his sons Tony and Scott and many special friends.

He is mourned and greatly missed by those that survive him, His loving wife Shirley, His sister Margaret, His Children, Jeff (Phyllis), Steve (Liisa), and Karen. He leaves his grandchildren, Tony Jr., Paige, Tia and Kourtney. He had 3 great grandchildren, Trinity, Oakley, and Emerson. Mark is survived by many Nieces, nephews and cousins near and far. To have known Mark was to love him. His strong and sometimes gruff and tough demeanor gave way to his soft heart and fantastic sense of humor, never missing an opportunity to crack a joke waiting and watching for a reaction from others. We will spend the rest of our days missing Mark's company but glad for the time that we had him in our lives.

A service to celebrate the life that Mark lived and the impact he had on those around him will be July 26th at the Peace First Lutheran Church in Astoria at 1 pm.