He was born on Jan. 15, 1926 at the family farm northeast of Gresham to Mark Alexander Romohr and Stella Myrtle (Sterup) Romohr. He was baptized and later became a member of the Wayland Congregational Church of rural Gresham until 1955 when he became a member of the Gresham Presbyterian Church.
He attended Plainview School in Seward County for two years and then transferred to Gresham Public School. He graduated from Gresham High School in 1943, and then helped his father on the farm until August of 1944 when he enlisted in the service. He landed in Europe on his 19th birthday. He served in “L” Company of the 94th Infantry, when the division was assigned to General George S. Patton’s Third Army and was a combat veteran of the Battle of the Bulge, serving in the Saar-Moselle Triangle area.
Following the war he was a guard at the Czechoslovakian-Russian border, played football for the 376th Regiment, and was then transferred to the 1st Infantry Division in Nurnburg where he served as a guard at the Nurnburg Trials. He returned to Gresham on July 6, 1946, where he farmed with his father and brother.
Mark married Jennie Ellen Hohnbaum on Aug. 5, 1951 at the Waco Methodist Church. They made their home on the farm northeast of Gresham where they still reside. Mark farmed his entire life, and loved the land and his profession. In later years he remained on the home farm and enjoyed working in his shop and helping his sons farm. Mark always said “farming has been good to me.”
Through the years he served as an Elder and Trustee of the Gresham Presbyterian Church and on the Gresham School Board, the Gresham Co-op Board, and the Gresham baseball committee. He was a permanent member of the American Legion and served as Commander for several terms of Davidson-Neujahr Post #13. He held membership in the 40 and 8 of the American Legion and was a lifetime member of the 94th Infantry Division and served two terms on the 94th Division Council.
He was a member and served as Worshipful Master of Morning Star Lodge # 197 A.F.&A.M. of Gresham and then transferred to the Stromsburg Masonic Lodge #126 where he continued membership for 64 years, and was a member of the Scottish Rite and the Sesotris Temple of Shrine.
He joined the staff at the First National Bank (now Cornerstone) in York on Jan. 1, 1975 and served as an agriculture loan officer for 2 ½ years and then served on the bank’s Board of Directors from 1977 to 1996, and served on the board of the York Community Foundation.
Mark enjoyed fishing in Canada and the Northwest Territories and he and his wife Jennie also enjoyed traveling, being able to visit all fifty states and traveled on six continents. Part of their winter months were spent in Arizona. He enjoyed sporting events and was an avid Nebraska Cornhusker fan and held football season tickets since 1959. Most of all he was devoted to his family and enjoyed attending events in which his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren participated.
Survivors include his wife of 64 years, Jennie of Gresham; sons, John Mark (Ann) Romohr of Waco and Robert Eugene (Sue Ann) Romohr of Gresham; daughter, Julia Ellen (Romohr) Sparks of Omaha; grandchildren, Kate (Tyler) Bachman of Shawnee, Kan., Kirby (Jordan) Crawford of York, Samuel Mark Romohr of Denver, Colo., Sarah Sparks of Washington, D.C., Megan Romohr of Kansas City, Mo. and Kasey Romohr of York. Mark is also survived by great-grandchildren: Jackson and Charley Crawford and Madelyn Bachman; nephews, nieces and cousins.
He was preceded by his parents; two sisters, Gladys Paulick and Esther Schultz and brother, Melvin Romohr.
Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, April 5, 2016 at First Presbyterian Church in York. Burial will be held at 2:30 that afternoon at the Waco Cemetery with military honors by Davidson-Neujahr Post #13.
Visitation will be 1 p.m. – 9 p.m. Sunday and 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday at the mortuary. The family will greet friends from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Monday evening at the First Presbyterian Church in York. Memorials are suggested to the Shriner’s Hospitals for Children, the Masonic Eastern Star Home for Children at Fremont or in care of the family for further distribution.