Wherry, Mark

1956 - 2022

Mark Byron Wherry (aka “Mark B.”) was born in Columbus, Ohio on May 2, 1956, just a couple of months early…but that didn’t stop him. From Day One his parents Paul and Nancy Wherry were faced with a determined, optimistic and often recalcitrant little boy who refused to be told he couldn’t do something. His parents were told he would never walk, by 2, with the help of braces and physical therapy he was walking. Attending what was then known as “The Neil Avenue School for Crippled Children”, Mark thrived through the sixth grade and then was mainstreamed into public schools in Worthington. In the face of harassment and bullying over his handicap, he always stood tall and held his ground. At Thomas Worthington High School under the expert coaching of the late Lacrosse Coach John Galipault, Mark became a successful goalie which positively impacted the rest of his life. During his tenure at Ohio State University, he earned a Varsity Letter as the manager for the OSU Lacrosse team while simultaneously engaging in his rabid love for OSU Football. After leaving OSU, Mark embarked upon a sportscaster career that was tragically cut short due to mental illness. In spite of Mark’s physical struggles and living with mental illness, he maintained a positive attitude through

out his life. In his final and debilitating years, Mark’s hope was to live to age 66. He met his goal on 5/2/22 and passed peacefully on 5/3/22, only to prove in his

final hour how truly determined he was. He leaves behind his sister, Carole Tomko (brother-in-law, Michael); brother, Thomas Wherry (sister-in-law, Kecia); nieces, Katherine Powell (formerly Tomko) and her husband, Matt Powell, Antonela Tomko and her daughter, Angelina, Anna Wherry, Lillian Wherry, Samantha Wherry; and nephew, Michael Alexander Tomko and his wife, Sheena Shah Tomko. His humor and steadfast determination will be sadly missed by his family and friends. Mark was passionate follower of all things Ohio State. Over the years, he contributed his time and energy to the Ohio State Lacrosse team. His family asks that if you are so moved, you make a donation to the team in his memory: The Ohio State University Foundation The Ohio State University Men’s Lacrosse Office Attn: Buckeye Lacrosse 11th Man Club, 535 Irving Schottenstein Dr., Columbus, OH 43210.There will be no calling hours. Private interment will occur at Walnut Grove Cemetery.