Daily News (West Bend, Wis.)
Published: Nov. 25, 2017
Mark Scholz was so giving and so humble about it, even his
sisters and his mother were amazed at a video they saw that showcased Scholz’s
life of giving.
That helped the family jokingly look past his grumpy
personality.
“He was a life saver,” said Jan Zehren, one of Mark’s
sisters.
Another sister, Donna Schmitt, quickly intervened with a big
smile, “... which balanced out his grumpy personality. He was quite a
character.”
On Tuesday, members of Scholz’s family were invited to
participate in the Boys & Girls Clubs of Washington County Thanksgiving
Dinner at the West Bend facility. In addition, the family got a tour of the
facility.
Zehren said the family was invited to the event by Executive
Director Jay Fisher so they could see the direct impact of Scholz’s generosity.
“He is, was, a very remarkable man,” Zehren said.
Scholz died Feb. 19 at the age of 67. But his impact on the
community remains strong and will for many, many years. He left tens of
thousands of dollars in his estate to several organizations, including the Boys
& Girls Club of Washington County, St. Joseph’s Hospital’s Kraemer Cancer
Center and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Washington County. Between just those
three organizations, Scholz’s estate donated $75,000, Zehren said.
She added those are only three of the seven organizations
Scholz left money for in his estate. And those are just a fraction of what
Scholz spent nearly all of his adult life contributing to in whatever way he
could — time and/or money.
In October, Scholz was honored by WTMJ-Channel 4 in
Milwaukee during its “Positively Milwaukee” awards ceremony with the Legacy of
Giving Award, which goes to someone who has made a significant impact on his or
her community and had died within the last year.
“Many, many people will be benefactors of Mark’s kindness
and generosity,” Zehren said.
In March, Scholz will be one of the five inductees for the
West Bend Baseball Association’s Wall of Fame, an organization he was an active
member of. The WBBA already has a scholarship named in his honor.
Amongst the family members, there is no one that knows for
sure why Scholz got involved in the community has much as he did it. Nobody
knows because Scholz never boasted about it.
But there are theories.
His father, Allan, served in the Air Force for 22 years and
achieved the rank of Major. That was something Mark wanted to do. Thus, a
semester shy of graduating from college at the University of Wisconsin-La
Crosse, Mark enlisted in the Marines, but was turned away. Zehren said her
brother was turned away because he didn’t meet the visibility requirement.
“Our speculation there was this drive for civic duty,
patriotism,” Zehren said. “That’s sort of what we think.”
Bernice, Mark’s mom, said Mark was angry because he couldn’t
fulfill something he thought he was placed on Earth to do and that was to serve
his country like his father did.
“He came back home and did what he had to do to compromise
the feeling he was having,” Bernice said.
Zehren said she thought a void needed to be filled.
Her big brother was “incredibly humble,” she added. The one
thing he consistently did brag about was he dog, Jack. For years, Mark and Jack
guided duck and pheasant hunts.
During the “Positively Milwaukee” awards ceremony,
a video played highlighting Scholz’s charitable efforts.
“For one thing, I was surprised at what he did,” Bernice
said. “He didn’t share a lot with us because I think he was trying to do
something he wanted to do to help him realize how much he wanted to help other
people.
“No matter what, he’d always be there for people who call
him or need him or help other people in need and he was just one heck of a good
guy.”
The video lasted about five to six minutes. When it
finished, the family saw their beloved son, brother, in a way they never
thought possible.
“I have such a great amount of respect for him,” Zehren
said.
Bernice said, “I don’t know if there is a word for how proud
I am.”
His mother couldn’t recall if Mark always had a generous
heart or an ambition for volunteering, outside of being an altar boy at St.
Frances Cabrini and being in Boy Scouts.
“He never did it for the accolades,” Schmitt said. “He felt
like it was something he felt he should do.”
Also on Mark’s list of charitable efforts include the
Jackson Fire Department, the Slinger Fire Department, the American Cancer
Society, Meals on Wheels, the WBBA and the West Bend Thunder traveling baseball
program.
Scholz also owned Scholz Mobil in Jackson and sponsored the
local adult softball team.
“He didn’t have his own children,” Zehren said. “But he did
a lot for kids.”
The family learned that the day of Mark’s memorial
service. On that day, hundreds of people attended, offered
condolences and shared stories. But there was one group of visitors that stood
out: the youth baseball players, all in uniform.
“That’s when it hit me,” Schmitt said. “Watching them all
come through. I thought, ‘He had all these balls juggling in the air. Doing
this for this group, this for this group.’ When I saw all those boys from the
baseball team come through in their uniforms, I thought, ‘Wow.’ He obviously
really touched them.
“Those young boys, to take time out of their Saturday to
come in their uniforms and pay respect and, at one point, I turned during the
funeral and one of the boys had tears streaming down his face.
“I thought, ‘Wow. He really has made a difference in the
world.’”
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