Mark Anthony Schmittling, 62, passed away on December 21, 2023 after a short, yet fierce battle with cancer.  He was born on December 15, 1961 in San Gabriel, California to loving and first time parents, Thomas and Marneth (Lang) Schmittling.

Mark's family (which includes his brother, Ken and sister, Kim) moved to West Covina, California in 1965 where their fondest memory was building their swimming pool together.  In 1969, Mark's dad took a job in Anchorage, Alaska where they spent two years enjoying the Castle Heights neighborhood.  Mark and his brother would chase the moose down the street and skate in the pond near their house. In 1972 his family moved to Denver, Colorado to the Cherry Knolls neighborhood.  It was during these years that Mark and his brother were Cub Scout and Boy Scouts at St. Thomas More Church and was coached by his dad when he played in the local softball and basketball little leagues. While at Isaac Newton Junior High School, Mark played the saxophone and fell in love with music, which became a lifetime passion.  While he was attending Arapahoe High School, he began his music career by becoming soundman for his brother's band. Additionally, Mark played hockey and worked in the food industry. His first job was at the Woolworth's breakfast & lunch counter as a cook. He worked as a line cook at The Plankhouse; assistant chef at The Denver department store. He then spent 12 years working for H Brinkers, where he worked with his sister, Kim.  He started as a line cook and worked up to Kitchen Manager.

After attending Fort Lewis College for a year, Mark decided he wanted to take a different direction. Mark obtained his culinary certificate from Aurora Technology and later, after having children, he worked to get his HVAC certification (apprenticeship rating) from Emily Griffith Technical College.

With his culinary certificate brought him the confidence to work with his parents to run The Porter House Bed & Breakfast in Windsor, Colorado. He managed the Porter House with his parents from 1995 to 2007 (his parents retired and sold the B&B in 2015) while also working as a soundman for different events. He saved every dime to purchase more sound equipment. By incorporating his music with the contacts he made at the B&B, he became quite successful and got to work with entertainers including Persuasion, Chris Daniels and the Kings, Hazel Miller, The Breckenridge Jazz Festival and so many more.

Mark met his wife, Jennifer Jones, while he attended Arapahoe High School, but it was 20 years later when they found each other again on Classmates.com and their fairytale began. They married in 2003 at the Porter House B&B. During their time in Windsor, they worked with his parents at the B&B, making memories of the guests they served and the parties they catered. The evenings, weekends and summers were spent pursuing his music by serving as soundman at the Windsor Concert in the Park series, church services for multiple venues, Harvest Festival and so many other events.

Mark and Jennifer got to spend 20 wonderful years of marriage making memories, spending time with their families, cherishing their children, traveling and working together.

Mark's biggest dream came true when he and Jennifer had their children; Melissa (2005) and Emma and Ryan (2007). They moved their family to Highlands Ranch, Colorado in 2007. Mark spent a great deal of time enjoying their children as they were growing up.  Among his fondest memories were the times he and Ryan would go to Boy Scout camp; watching Emma playing basketball, soccer and softball; and teaching Melissa how to drive. He took them to  his beloved California for family bonding.

Another one of the great joys in Mark's life was going into business with his mom after the passing of his father.  They built a successful business with their truck, M&M Western Grill and got to spend precious time laughing and serving up their fabulous culinary creations.  The business became even more treasured to him because he got to work side by side with his wife and three children which cemented a bond never to be broken.

Mark is survived by his wife, Jennifer, his children, Melissa, Ryan and Emma, his mother, Marneth, his brother Ken, his sister Kim (Chris) as well as his many nieces and nephews. Mark was preceded in death by his father.

Memorial service will be held on January 11, 2024, 1:00 pm at St. John's Cathedral 1350 N Washington St, Denver, CO 80203  with reception to follow at Marni Schmittling 6877 S. Fillmore Ct Centennial, CO 80122.

A Celebration of Life will also be held on January 13, 2024, 5:00pm at  Resolute Brewing Company 7286 S Yosemite St #110, Centennial, CO 80112.