CLEELAND, Mark Edward
Mark Edward Cleeland, age 72, of Calhoun, Georgia, passed from this life on September 22, 2023, after an extended illness.
Mark was born on August 14, 1951, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and grew up in Miami, Florida. He was the son of the late Robert W. and Helen Cleeland of Tallahassee, Florida.
Mark graduated from Stetson University in Deland, Florida, with a Batchelor of Arts degree in Political Science in 1973. He was a champion debater and participated in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) at Stetson. Mark was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army in 1973. His service included being stationed in West Germany for four years during the Vietnam Era with the US Army Ordinance Corps working in nuclear weapons materials management. After discharge from active duty, he served with the U.S. Army Reserve and attained the rank of Captain.
Upon returning to the U.S. after service, Mark enrolled in the University of Miami where he completed a second bachelor’s degree and a Master of Science degree in Counseling. Mark had a long career in counseling and worked for several organizations. He retired from his own practice, Counseling Associates of Northwest Georgia, as a licensed mental health counselor, where he enjoyed helping people who had mental health and substance abuse problems, living his life in service to others.
Mark loved God and was an active member of St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church where he sang in the choir. Mark enjoyed music and sang with the Calhoun Community Chorus for a time. He enjoyed the Atlanta Braves, college football, reading, gardening, traveling, and caring for his pets. A “people person,” Mark never met a stranger and would chat with anyone anywhere. Mark was slow to judge and consistently showed mercy and bestowed grace on others. He tenaciously saw the potential of others regardless of their circumstances.
Mark is survived by his wife, Robin Cleeland; a brother and sister-inlaw, Robert W. and Eunice Cleeland; a mother-in-law, Catherine Naugher, and a brother-in-law and sister-inlaw, Scott and Lori Naugher.
A memorial service will be held at St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church on Saturday, October 21, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. A private interment will be held at a later time. The family will receive friends for a reception to celebrate Mark’s life after the memorial service in the church.
The family requests memorials to St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church, 224 Trammell Street, Calhoun, Georgia, 30701, in lieu of flowers.
“There are two basic motivating forces: fear and love. When we are afraid, we pull back from life. When we are in love, we open to all that life has to offer with passion, excitement, and acceptance. We need to learn to love ourselves first, in all our glory and our imperfections. If we cannot love ourselves, we cannot fully open to our ability to love others or our potential to create. Evolution and all hopes for a better world rest in the fearlessness and open-hearted vision of people who embrace life.”
— John Lennon