On a bicycle in Heaven
My name is Sheri. I have some sad news to share with you all.
My father, Mark, went to be with the Lord on Sunday, April 12th 2009. He was riding his bike as he loves on April 3rd and was struck by a car near his home here in Maryland, USA.
Referring to him in the past tense seems so wrong. How can a person so full of passion and energy leave us so quickly? Although, he will be missed terribly, I find peace knowing he is with the Lord and rejoicing. I would like you all to remember the way my Dad was during his time here on earth. He was patient, kind, caring, forgiving and lived his life to serve the Lord. He was a father I can be proud of.
My father wrote me a letter 10 years ago, when I was 18. He wanted to give me some advice for surviving the world on my own. I would like to share some of his thoughts with you:
- Pick a dream and follow it, no matter what others say.
- Be reluctant to borrow. Just be happy with what God has provided for you.
- Remember who your grandfather and great grandfather are. They are diligent men who take pride in everything they do. That same blood runs through your veins.
- Do everything you can to prevent racism.
- Don’t gamble.
- The best things in life are not always things you can see and touch.
- Take your time when approached with a decision. The consequences could be severe and impact your life drastically.
- Live as Jesus lived.
I think this is advice we could all listen to.
~ Sheri
* Before he began this website, he posted his writings and pictures (2004 – 2007) on another site. If anyone would like to view: http://boanergess.xanga.com/
Mark D. Schaumann, age 51, of Elkton, MD, died on Sunday evening, April 12, 2009, at Christiana Hospital in Newark, DE. He had been bicycling when he was hit by a car on April 3rd and critically injured.
Born in Wilmington on March 12, 1958, Mark was the son of Erik J. Schaumann and Annette Ely Schaumann. He was an avid cyclist and had ridden in Thailand, Mexico, and Guatemala. He worked hard at perfecting his Spanish so he could communicate as he traveled. He loved to share his experiences with people around the world through the blog he maintained. He was active in his church, Heritage Presbyterian in New Castle, and he loved to spend time with his grandson. Mark worked as a mechanic at Basell in Elkton for many years and, at time of his death, at Union Hospital, also in Elkton.
In addition to his parents of Pike Creek, DE, Mark is survived by his daughter, Sheri Dodson, her husband, Michael, and grandson, Michael, Jr., of Perryman, MD; brother, Paul Schaumann, his wife, Vorice, and nephew, Paul, Jr., of Rising Sun, MD; brother, Carl Schaumann, his wife, Beth Renzulli, niece and nephew, Cleo and Leif, of Warwick, MD; sister, Lisa Rogers, her husband, Chris, and nephews and niece, Wilson, Erika, and Perry, of Woodstock, GA; and his dear friend, Yanick Schaumann.
A celebration of Mark’s life will be held at 11 am on Friday, April 17, 2009, at Heritage Presbyterian Church, 140 Airport Road, New Castle, DE, where visitation will begin at 10 am. Interment will follow in Head of Christiana Cemetery, Nottingham Road, Newark, DE.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Heritage Presbyterian Church, 140 Airport Road, New Castle, DE 19720; or to Happy Life Children’s Home, Inc., c/o Rev. Jim Powell, at the church address.
DAD – YOU WILL FOREVER BE MISSED
1958 – 2009
I LOVE YOU
April 19, 2009 at 5:22 pm
Mark,
I will miss you for the rest of this life. Riding a bike isn’t my idea of heaven, but maybe you can ride, I can drum, and we can both worship the King for a long, long time.
-Chris
p.s. Coffee — now that’s BOTH our idea of heaven. I am looking forward to our next cup!
April 20, 2009 at 7:21 am
As a friend I knew him, as he adventured to different lands I knew about his adventures and only could dream of being care free. Treasure each day open our eyes to the people around so we can see the beauty in all.
April 20, 2009 at 8:13 am
Life is short. We need to live each day as if it is a last day of our life. Mark will be missed by millions. But he is in a better place with the God. My condolences to the family, especially to Sheri who has lost her dear Dad.
April 20, 2009 at 10:53 am
Sheri, I didn’t of course personally know your father, however I knew him through you. He must have been a great father. Always remember to be thankful that you knew him, and never forget the great things he brought to you & your son’s life. He’s in an awesome place right now.
April 21, 2009 at 7:01 am
Sheri:
Thank you so much for your posting. What your Dad told you is true. Although we never met, I am deeply saddened by his death.
He contacted me several years ago before his first trip to Mexico because I live in Veracruz and I helped him map out this first trip. Later he contacted me about his bicycle trip to Mexico, and I guided him through the lesser travelled routes through Tantoyuca and on to Veracruz. I think he hit Veracruz during Carnaval and I was out of town and we never got a chance to meet. You can see his pictures here:
http://markschaumann.com/category/veracruz/
A long time ago, I lived in Guatemala, and know the pleasure he felt of being in Quezaltenango. It is a beautiful city with a lot of very nice people, and I followed his web postings with great interest.
I am so sad to see that he is gone now, and that we never had a chance to meet. I think we could have talked for hours and hours about the same places we had been and about people we met along the way.
I think that he left us all a legacy of a way at looking at the way we live our own lives, and left us richer because of our contact with him.
Saludos,
John
April 21, 2009 at 3:13 pm
We contacted first time just few weeks ago, and both felt comfortable with our time ahead. It was very sad to learn what was the reason behind delay in response. Decided to google last sunday morning, and after a while navigated to those torn pieces of news. Clear, unaffected and precise, so tight in time with us yet communicated, hard to swallow. Such things make us think again, and then again. Several days in row now, since learned.
It happens, we share friendships with bike – they are very liberating. You feel riding freedom, it is ultimately simple and manageable. For the first time on these pages, I saw man fitting one into the bag, adding another dimension to the meaning of free travel. Oh, one more bag for the trailer – to suffice without any lack remaining…
Most likely, I will never travel that much, as is observable here. But, for sure, these are distant places for dreaming of visiting. Seeing somebody done it, does help.
Hat off,
edis
Klaipeda, Lithuania
April 21, 2009 at 4:22 pm
I met Mark at Basell. He was always very kind and conversed when we would meet in the hall~loved to talk about riding bikes, a shared passion. Once I saw him in downtown Elkton in the town square where they had live music on Thursday nights.. He asked me to join him to hear the music………….I had better things to do, like meet up with my drinking buddy at the Howard House. If I could go back to that day I would really like to stay and talk with him and listen to the music. I would tell my other friend, some other time.
So he was right, make your decisions count. Take Care Mark, I wish you peace.
October 10, 2009 at 5:50 am
I just heard from Sheri yesterday on Mark’s passing. We were next door neighbors on Old Baltimore Pike for many years. The house he and Sheri lived in had been in my family since it was built in the 1920’s. Mark lived in #15; and I lived in #13. Mark was a wonderful neighbor. Always doing a kind deed; helping me with whatever I needed help with. Just a wonderful person. He did an awesome job with Sheri. I’m glad Sheri found my contact info in Mark’s belongings. I look forward to developing a special relationship with you, Sheri, just like I had with your dad. You’re doing a major service to us all keeping up your Dad’s website. You ARE your father’s daughter!!!!
Nancy
November 4, 2009 at 10:09 am
Sheri,I hope this is OK with you.I posted a picture your dad took and posted it on the MZ site where your dad knew a lot of people like myself.
http://www.mzriders.com/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=2700&p=20628#p20628