Mark Henry Cieslinski

Mark H. Cieslinski, 64, of Port St. Lucie, passed away on October 11, 2020 after a seven-week battle with Covid-19. Mark, a native and lifelong Floridian, was born on October 13, 1955 in Homestead, one of five children of Henry and Anita Cieslinski

In 1993, Mark met the love of his life, Suzanne Lorence, on a blind date that she didn’t want to go on, but we’re all so glad she did. Mark and Suzanne were soon married and went on to fulfill their mutual dream of building a home and a family together, welcoming their pride and joy, Sarah, in 1994, and their baby boy, Daniel, two years later.

Of all of the blessings in this world, nothing brought Mark more joy than his family and pursuing hobbies that he could share with them. With Sarah, Mark shared his love for nature and all of its creatures. Over time, she would develop her father’s uncanny ability to identify any bird by sight or by sound, but she would still call her Dad whenever she needed to know what kind of soil she should use for a new plant. It’s no wonder that Sarah would go on to start and operate a successful online business that offers environmentally-friendly products.

When Daniel was a little boy, Mark bought little dirt bikes so he could ride around the yard with his kids. Then it was paintball guns – and all the gear – so they could coordinate battles with the neighborhood kids in nearby fields. Before long, it would be gun ranges and .50-caliber rifles. As Daniel grew older, the toys simply grew bigger – as did the bond between father and son. Mark would do anything if it meant spending time with his kids, so when an injury left Daniel with limited recreational outlets, Mark took up RC plane flying so he could spend quality time at the air field with his son who loved to fly drones.

Second only to his family, Mark’s greatest passion in life was fishing. Go ahead and Google “Mark Cieslinski + Port St. Lucie.” The first two hits read “Stingray Shuffle” and “Snook Season,” and they’re both about Mark and his favorite sport. We’re not certain which part he enjoyed more – hooking the biggest snapper in the St. Lucie River or coaching the young men who were lucky enough to have him as their fishing buddy and mentor – but we suspect it was the latter. Mark was always encouraging them and guiding them in the proper way to fish. He was an avid and talented fisherman, but more than that, he was a teacher.

Mark was a devoted son, brother, husband, father, fishing buddy, mentor, and teacher, but the titles don’t stop there, and it still feels like we’re just scratching the surface of the endless ways in which he graced our lives with his presence. Mark could do anything he put his mind to, always researching and watching videos until he figured it out. Notably, he was a talented woodworker. The dream home that he recently built with Suzanne is filled with his magnificent pieces of furniture and works of art, all built by Mark. It’s also filled with quite a number of safeguards as protecting his family was always number one to Mark. Suzanne would jokingly call him Mr. Security, but the fact of the matter is that Mark would do anything to protect his family.

Mark is survived by his beloved wife of 27 years, Suzanne, as well as his “best daughter ever” Sarah, and his son Daniel, of whom he was infinitely proud. He is also survived by his fishing buddy and future son-in-law Gerard (JJ) Follano. Mark couldn’t wait to walk Sarah down the aisle and officially welcome such a wonderful man into the family. Mark also leaves behind his siblings, Patty McCabe, Debbie Miller, Joe Cieslinski, and Gina Cieslinski, as well as many other loving family members, friends, fishing buddies, and co-workers, all of whom are absolutely devastated by his premature passing. He was preceded in death by his parents.

The family will hold a private graveside ceremony. They would love for you to share in the online guestbook your happy memories of Mark