Mark William Dusel was a kind, caring, skilled, charismatic man. He was survived by his wife, Julie; son, Matt; granddaughters Jaida and Ramona and their mother, Jessica Dora. Mark had a twinkle in his eye and brilliance between his ears that captivated all of us whenever in his presence. His attention to detail was impeccable. Mark was an incredibly hard worker, fascinated with the natural world, ready for adventure, and tough as nails. He was a supremely talented man. Mark was born on December 21, 1954 and passed away on March 4, 2023 after a short battle with blood cancer and related complications.

Mark worked for CK Johnson’s industrial steel fabrication company for almost 40 years, which had become a second family to him. His expertise with steel was unparalleled. Mark could shape steel like a blade of grass. He could form, bend and plasma-cut steel with unbelievable accuracy and precision. All of his knowledge, skills, experience, and follow through made him a vital leader for CK Johnson and a key ingredient to the success of the company. Mark highly valued the loyalty and quality of his employer.

In his spare time at home, Mark worked hard to perfect the paradise he and his wife created and called home. Years ago, Mark and Julie bought land and built a small studio above a workshop. For five years, he and his wife lived together in the studio as they prepared to build their main house, Mark’s dream. Through hard work and dedication, the time came when Mark was ready to build. He worked day and night to create a beautiful custom home from the ground up, with his ability and bare hands. This beautiful land is called Cedar Hill, situated in the hills and redwoods of Blue Lake, overlooking the Mad River. In his final weeks, he continued to build a gorgeous wrap-around deck that matched the vision he always had.

Mark was very close to his family. He was the youngest of five children. He and his brothers, Jim and John; and sisters, Christine and Julie; grew up together in the Sacramento area and remained close throughout the years. Mark’s parents, Clarice Wilford and John Dusel were both fine educators and paved the way in shaping Mark and his siblings into outstanding humans. Clarice taught English in Japan and John was a professor at Stanford.

Mark could build, fix or engineer anything. His son Matt recalls calling his Dad anytime he experienced a challenge with home ownership. Mark always had the right answer and was always there to help. Mark was also a skilled gardener and he and Julie enjoyed their time together growing food in their own garden on Cedar Hill, and being rewarded for what they sowed.

There are three creatures special to Mark that also live on Cedar Hill. Cedar, Wiley and Ollie are Mark and Julie’s cats and he loved them dearly. Mark and Julie always had cats as pets together, going back to when they lived on Crane street in Eureka when Matt was just a young boy.

Mark accomplished his dream by building his own private paradise for his beloved wife, son and granddaughters. He will always be there in spirit to experience the love and joy that he graciously created.

A celebration of life will be held at a later date.

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