Mark L. Klafter

NORFOLK -- Memorial service for Mark L. Klafter, 72, of Norfolk will be held at 1:00 p.m., Thursday, November 17, 2022 at the Stonacek Funeral Chapel in Norfolk. Private family graveside service will be held at the Prospect Hill Cemetery, Norfolk. Visitation will be 4:00-7:00 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 16, also at the Stonacek Funeral Chapel in Norfolk. Mark passed away on Wednesday, November 9, 2022 at the Faith Regional Hospital in Norfolk. Stonacek Funeral Chapel is in charge of the arrangements. Mark Laurence Klafter was born in Manhattan, NYC on April 9th, 1950. His family lived in Manhattan and Queens until he was 18. He loved sports; he played stickball in The Big Park and watched baseball at The Polo Grounds. Mark and his friends were befriended by Mets rookie Hawk Taylor who let them into games for free. Mark intentionally failed 7th-grade algebra so he’d be required to attend summer school and could stay in the city for Mets’ games rather than help his father at the country club he managed in the Catskills. Mark had his Bar Mitzvah in Queens in 1963. The night after graduating from Jamaica High School, his family moved to Charlotte, North Carolina. He graduated from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill in 1971 and received his Bachelor of Arts after studying English. His time at UNC fostered his love for literature and words. A combination of his passion for sports, his gargantuan vocabulary, and his meticulous memory for numbers made him an animated sportswriter for The Charlotte Observer. Always a man of many interests, he also became a serious hippie. On May 18th, 1973, Mark was radically reborn as a believer in Jesus. Mark traveled across the United States and lived in a number of places including Durham, NC., Philadelphia, and Boston. He pursued his passion for theatre, literature, and jazz music in all of these places and often made friends with the actors, artists, and musicians whose shows he attended. He attended Durham Technical Community College and graduated at the top of his class to become a Respiratory Therapist in 1985. He worked at North Carolina Memorial Hospital at UNC where eventually he met his wife, Shirley. He wore a maroon shirt with an orange sweater on their first date. Despite or because of this, Mark and Shirley married on May 27th, 1989. They had three children before moving to Norfolk, Nebraska in 1998, and had another child in 2000. Mark worked at Faith Regional Hospital for 21 years as a Respiratory Therapist. He was beloved by patients who appreciated his thorough attention. Mark invested countless hours studying, learning, and teaching God’s word and His many promises. After retiring in 2019, Mark traveled to visit some of the people, places, and Jazz clubs that he cherished. He connected with believers in Jesus wherever he went and often through the means he used to get there. He found fellowship while hitchhiking, hopping freight cars, hailing cabs, and riding city buses. His family and friends grieve the sudden end to his journey and celebrate Mark’s memory in every place he stayed along the way. He is survived by his wife Shirley (Sieler) Klafter, his children, Abraham, Terésa, Victory, and Israel, daughter-in-law Danielle, grandchildren Hadassah and Aowyn, his brother Kenneth Klafter, and nephew, Teddy Klafter. He is preceded in death by his parents, Tibor and Harriet (Zief) Klafter. Condolences may be expressed to the family on-line at www.stonacekfuneralchapel.com.

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Mark L. Klafter

April 9, 1950 - November 9, 2022