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Mark David Karpel, age 51, passed away on August 14, 2003, in San Antonio, Texas. Here is his obituary:
A native San Antonian, Mark attended MacArthur High School, St. Mary’s University and the University of Texas. In high school, he won a scholarship in speech and majored in accounting at college. He joined his father’s accounting firm in Houston and eventually bought him out. Mark started a new company called Check Master Payroll Services, which utilized a unique new computer software program to manage payrolls. A master salesman, Mark successfully grew his business. However, eventually he wanted to return to his beloved San Antonio, sold his thriving business and semi-retired. Mark was a gifted actor and singer who spent his spare time in numerous plays, such as the TIN MAN in the WIZARD OF OZ, the lead in GIGI and many others. He also sang at the weddings of many friends. The accountant became an actor! Mark is survived by his mother, Bonnie Markey Place; his sister, Dr. Karen Karpel Lee; his brother, Keith Ross Karpel; his aunts and uncles, Donna and Hank Berez, Cookie and Paul Markey, Judy and Benton Markey; plus numerous loving cousins, nieces and nephews. A member of Temple BethEll, Mark was devoted to his religion. He was confirmed and became a Bar Mitzvah at the Temple. Mark Karpel was a warm, sensitive human being with a great sense of humor. He’ll be sorely missed. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to a charity of choice.
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Roger Barnes
I had Mark in a few classes at Garner. He was a pistol. Always the shortest guy in the room he still stood tall in a crowd...and often held court in the large group conversations in our school hallways. He always had a way of making you smile. My last memory of Mark was at the 30th class reunion at an after-party at the Moodys villa...we all sang along with Mark while he played "Here Comes the Sun" on his guitar.Jim Briscoe
A great guy and good friend. I wish he would have called.Ken Jones
Some friends you make in high school are life long friends, Mark Karpel was and still is a life long friend. I believe that we will sing together again.We began by singing when we had time to get together back in Junior High. Then we sang in the choir together at MacArthur. We enjoyed harmonizing to popular tunes everywhere we found ourselves and we sang christmas carols to our neighbors many christmases.
The one real thing we had in common was the ability to feel each others emotion in a song and how the overlays and intros should fall. We weren't great, but we weren't too bad either.
Mark usually chose the songs and figured out the chords for his guitar and I usually already knew or learned the words while he picked it out. Most of these songs were songs we had all heard of at one time or another. I had a nack for knowing the words and the general melodies and he was able to pick them out on the strings.
Several songs we picked up from my family's old barbershop quartet days when my father came up with stuff we had never heard of and we'd jump in and learn his old croony songs as well as contemporary stuff like James Taylor or the Beatles. I guess it's a family tradition. My father liked to sing. Had things gone differently when my father was young, he could have been a professional singer.
We liked Willie Nelson's "Stardust" and we liked Etta James "At Last", we liked it all. We surely shared a love of music. I cared for Mark as much as you would a brother or a special friend.
I do know that I was dealing with my own personal, family, business issues and selfishly did not take the time to evaluate what he was trying to communicate to me and before I realized it...he was gone. Sometimes you just don't realize what the potential loss is until it's too late.
As for his demise, I suppose we all will find a way to move on when it is our time to go. I believe that the Lord had other works for him to do and other songs that needed to be played for those that would listen.
Nancy Fletcher (Hopper)
Mark! What a friend. Beginning in Jr. High and then by high school one of my best friends for a girl! Once we had a date to the drive-in and he pushed me in the swings as we watched a movie..Don't recall the movie because we had so much fun on the playset in front of the screen. A great memory w/Mark was Port A...we, which includes, Kennedy, Willard.. any several others partied like rock stars from dancing on the table, in some house we rented, singing as he played the guitar, walked the beach & drank tequila. You see I had a 'girls weekend' and Mark was invited to party w/us.Then when I moved to Houston, I worked w/Mark for 1 day to see if this would be something I wanted to build my career in..his business. We laughed our butts off, because it had to do w/accounting..what the hell were we thinking!!! no way. We ate lunch together in Houston, we laughed and we talked. He was dealing w/his depression. Then life happened, we lost contact. Such a dear friend, loving person, and loved by many.
Carolyn Andrews (Gavares)
Mark brought beautiful music to all of us. I can remember playing the guitar and singing at a party at his condo. So much fun, with Mark harmonizing and making me believe I might be Cher. What a charmer he was! What a great heart! What a good friend! I am so saddened to hear he has left us but am happy to know he no longer has to struggle with the pain of depression. Keep on singing Mark. What a choir we'll all make in heaven.Carolyn Andrews Gavares