Mark Overholt "OV" was a graduate of Cascade High School in 1984 where he excelled as a student and athlete.
Mark had many accomplishments and received many awards. He earned Varsity letters in four sports, was voted Team Captain, Most Inspirational, Mr. Hustle by his teammates and Most Athletic by his
class. Each of these awards shows a little something about who Mark was.
Mark attended college on a baseball scholarship and ultimately graduated from the University of Puget Sound earning his degree in Business Administration.
He has many friends who remember him for his fun loving spirit, work ethic, positive attitude, loyalty, and his great "Sunny Jim" smile.
Mark truly lived for the love of the game and the love of life.
Death of ex-Cascade star is big loss
Overholt is
remembered as
a good guy
By LARRY HENRY Herald Writer
Mark Overholt's friends and coaches remembered him Tuesday. There was a common theme to their memories: good guy, caring person, inspirational leader, hard worker. "He was my best
friend," said Cris Larson. "He was always there for me." "Mark was one of those kids you hope your son grows up to be like," said Charlie Cobb, the basketball coach at Cascade High School. "He was a
good student, he was polite, he was a hard worker."
Mark Overholt died in a car-train collision east of Ritzville Sunday afternoon. He was 25.
His fiancée, Sonya Gaubinger, 25, who was raised in Spokane but lives in Seattle, remains in serious condition at Deaconess Medical Center in Spokane.
Mark and Sonya were to be married Nov. 8. they were on the east side for a wedding shower. It is conjectured that Mark, who was employed by North Pacific Insurance Co., was also doing
some business in the Ritzville area.
The State Patrol reported that there was no gate or warning lights at the railroad crossing.
Mark was an all-around athlete at Cascade High School, from which he graduated in 1984, but his first love was baseball. He went on to play two years of baseball at Edmonds Community
College, a year at the University of Washington and a year at the University of Puget Sound. He graduated from UPS in 1990 with a degree in business administration.
Brad Cheney was the baseball coach at UPS when Mark enrolled there. Cheney, now in private business after retiring from UPS in August, recalled that the Loggers baseball program was "in
shambles" when he took the job in 1984. Cheney remembered the contribution Mark made to the program.
"Mark was one of a couple of guys who turned the program around," Cheney said. "He was a legitimate Division I player who took a gamble on coming to UPS and helped take the program to
another level."
Mark's contributions extended beyond the playing field, where he was a second baseman. He was active in recruiting players and after graduation last year served as an assistant coach
for the Loggers in their summer prog am in the Western International League and helped with the fall program.
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"He was an unbelievable kid," Cheney said. "You hear that said so much about kids that it gets kind of old, but with Mark it was true. He was an unbelievable kid. He practiced hard and
he played hard.
"He knew the game inside and out. He was a good player because he worked at it. He was going to be successful in life."
"He was Mr. Baseball, a Logger through and through," said Robin Hamilton, the UPS sports information director and women's softball coach.
"He was voted Most Inspirational Player by his teammates, which speaks for itself."
Mark wasn't a big kid, but he made up for his lack of size with desire and enthusiasm.
Gary Price, then the football coach at Cascade, was asked one year to coach sophomore basketball. He said it was one of the most enjoyable experiences he's ever had, and part of the fun
was having Mark on his team.
"We had 10 or 12 games come down to the wire and what we'd do was say, 'You four guys go over on one side and Mark you do what you have to do to score,' " Price said. "We'd always put
the ball in his hands and he'd take his man one-on-one."
Mark remained loyal to his old high school, returning each New Year's Day for the Cascade alumni basketball tournament.
After high school, he played baseball in the summer in the WIL and later transferred his skills to softball.
Funeral Services for Mark Overholt will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at St. Mary Magdalen Church in Everett. The vigil service will be at 7 p.m. Friday at the church.
Burial will be at Cyprus Lawn Memorial park.
In Lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Mark Overholt Sports Memorial at American First National Bank in Everett. |
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Mark "OV" Overholt
Cheney Stadium - UPS Loggers Home Feild
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