Mark Herwaldt '80

Mark Christopher Herwaldt, 60, finished the race and was called to his heavenly home on Saturday, August 26, 2023. Mark was born on October 18, 1962, and brought home to Glen Ellyn, IL by his cobbler parents, Paul Sr. and Patricia (Mitchell) Herwaldt, where he was welcomed by his six siblings for whom he will always remain “the baby.” He was united in marriage to Janene Marie Wahrman on April 4, 1987 and in a span of 12 years became the father of five beloved children.

 

Tragically, Mark lost his own father at the age of 14 and his mother when he was only 16, and from that time he was raised by his siblings. Mark had a heart for teenagers, especially those who were hurting.

 

Mark believed, like Isaiah, that his response to God’s call should be “Here I am Lord, send me” (Is.6:8). He would even walk into his mother-in-law’s house and announce, “I am here to serve!” In 1990, he started his career as a Catholic Youth Minister, where his corny jokes and deep distinctive laugh served him well. Each position he trusted was ordained by God and he would serve the people, giving them his heart. He was sent to Holy Angels Catholic Church in Aurora, IL (1990-2002), The Diocese of Rockford, IL (2002-2004), St. Pius X Catholic Church, Lombard, IL (2003-2005), Joyful Hope Ministry (2004-2017), Corpus Christi Catholic Church (2005-2017), and consulted for the Diocese of Joliet (2005-2017). He was instrumental in the implementation of Camp Wow and Camp Rock, Youth Leadership Conferences for the Joliet Diocese, coordinating numerous service mission trips to various states, and leading teens to four World Youth Day Events (Rome, Canada, Germany, and Poland). In 2015, the Diocese of Joliet granted him The Pier Giorgio Frassati Achievement Award for a lifetime of service in youth ministry.

 

His final call to mission began when symptoms of ALS enveloped his life in October 2016. He lived with ALS for almost seven years. In the first 15 months of illness, he lost the ability to move his arms, then legs, became unable to swallow and eat, and eventually unable to speak. Yet every day he wanted to get out of bed and impact others. Using a communication device, he regularly asked others for their prayer intentions, promising to offer his suffering as a prayer, as Christ did. He taught us all the meaning of redemptive suffering. In his blog post, he shared, “I ask for healing every day, not for me, but my family, yet I serve a mighty God who is using this suffering for a purpose greater than myself.”

 

Mark’s highest dedication was to God. His second was to his family that he created with Jan. He was a father who knew how to make childhood fun while instilling morals and passing on the faith to his children. Mark loved his wife, Jan, sacrificially as Christ loves his Church. Their love was tangible. Mark was preceded in death by his parents for whom he always longed, Paul (Aug 1977) and Patricia (Aug 1979). He is survived by his wife, Janene Herwaldt of Sugar Grove; his five children and their spouses of whom he was so proud, Bethany (Adam) Lusch of Woodridge, Rebecca (Marek) Gal of Geneva, Johnmark (Kathryn) of North Aurora, and Abigail and Elizabeth of Sugar Grove; his four grandchildren who bought him much joy, Theresa and Suzanna Gal, Christopher and unborn baby Herwaldt; his six siblings and their spouses for whom he was so grateful, Paul (Kathleen) of Green Bay, WI, Debra of Santa Barbara, CA, Gregory (Mary) of Dewey, AZ, Richard of Winfield, Douglas (Mary) of Glen Ellyn, and Catherine (Tony) Bogolin of Orchard Park, NY; six treasured Wahrman in-laws, Kay and Ken Prom, Ken and Sue Wahrman and Jeff and Renae Wahrman. He is survived by 31 beloved nieces and nephews whom he strived to know as individuals.

 

Visitation will be held on Friday, September 1, 2023 from 4:00p.m. to 8:00p.m. at Moss Family Funeral Home at 209 S. Batavia Avenue, Batavia, IL 60510. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Batavia on Saturday, September 2, 2023 at 10:30a.m.. Interment will follow at Assumption Cemetery in Wheaton.

 

The family is asking in lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to The Les Turner ALS Foundation who supported us on this journey.

Donations can also be given to Feed My Starving Children in Mark’s memory by following the link. https://give.fmsc.org/MarkMemorial