A Life Remembered

It is with great sadness that the family of Mark Edwin Phelps of Chicago, Illinois, announces his sudden death on November 7, 2020, at the age of 72. Mark will be lovingly remembered by Susan, his wife of 49 years; his children Katharine Phelps Brunner (Thomas A. Brunner), Major Mark Matthew Phelps, USMC (Benjamin Schock-Phelps), and Elizabeth Phelps Barber (John J. Barber); and grandchildren Samuel and Benjamin Brunner, and Madeleine, Miriam, and J. Finnian Barber.

A native of Warren, Ohio, Mark was born on March 27, 1948, to parents Edwin C. and Alice B. (Viets) Phelps, both of whom preceded him in death.

Mark attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (B.S., Mechanical Engineering, 1970) and Northwestern University (J.D., 1975). He spent his entire professional career as a patent attorney with the firm of Leydig, Voit, and Mayer (Chicago, IL), of which he was a member and partner for 37 years.

Mark had a passion for the water. He was an avid sailor, a member of the Chicago Yacht Club, and spent much of his time on a sailboat or at his second home near the Indiana Dunes National Park on the southern shore of Lake Michigan. Over the years, Mark and his family owned and sailed Concerto, Warlord, and DeNovo flying the CYC burgee and competing in open racing, countless Chicago-based regattas, and eight Races to Mackinac.

His usually well-hidden competitive streak came out when he picked up a ping pong paddle, which he did at every opportunity, playing with family members, neighbors, friends, and even unsuspecting strangers who wandered too close to the table. He was fiercely devoted to and supportive of his family of classical musicians, despite not being able to play or sing a note himself. He will be remembered for his quick wit, unassuming intelligence, and soft-spoken kindness.

A virtual memorial service will be held on Friday, November 13th, at 2pm (CST).

Memorial donations in honor of Mark may be given to the organizations that meant the most to him.

Professional arrangements are entrusted to the White-Love Funeral Home, Chesterton, IN.