October 13, 1956 - June 15, 2023
In Loving Memory ~
Robert "Mark" Pederson passed away on June 15, 2023, in Vermilion, Alberta at the age of 66 years.
Mark passed away peacefully on his own terms with proud family members at his side. Mark had reconciled with his diagnosis while still at home on the farm.
He will be very much missed by his wife of 23 years Patricia and her children Nigel, Carlie and Shawna, as well as his family including siblings Annette Glover (Bill Duncan), Don Pederson (Shirley) and Coranne Dohler (Len); everyone who came to visit and share time with Mark prior to his passing; as well as nieces, nephews and mentored welding apprentices too numerous to mention by name.
Mark was predeceased by his parents Johnnie and Donna.
Mark was born in Kamloops, BC and lived in Chase, BC for his first 10 years. When the Pederson family moved to Smithers, Mark enjoyed being active in hockey and baseball. One of his first jobs was riding range for Bill Morris. Through this experience Mark fell in love with ranching, horses, and cattle.
At 27, Mark moved out to Alberta where he worked the MacIntyre Ranch, south of Lethbridge, herding cattle. He also worked for Southern Breeders and taught AI at Lethbridge College. Mark moved to Wainwright and worked for McNary's until he moved to Marwayne and took up welding, working at Riverhill for 16 years.
He also guided tourists on wilderness trips in the Spatzizi Plateau after a summer of breaking horses. In 2000, Mark and Patricia started ranching and opened a successful welding business, Akita Welding, (named after his much-loved Akita dogs) for the next 15 years.
Mark was always hardworking and joyfully kept busy with cows, haying, nine horses and five llamas, gardening, quadding, making trails to cross country ski or walk. Mark enjoyed his memories of all life's wonderful adventures including travelling abroad or visiting Alice Arm with family especially.
"Wild & free, untameable, a jolly & reckless individual was the average cowboy.... all of them, however, shared a singular quality which must have been a result of their picturesque, strenuous, & perilous lives and this was an unquenchable spirit. Cowboys, as a rule, were fire eaters. They were simple, natural, elemental, and therefore, heroic. They performed the most tremendous tasks as a matter of a day's work without ever dreaming that they had essentials of greatness." - "Arizona Ames" by Zane Grey, page 100
Memorial Donations may be made to the SPCA or ALS Society.