Dan Mark

Daniel (Dan) Jon Mark, 61, of Castle Rock, Colorado, passed away unexpectedly on June 7, 2022.

Dan was born on June 22, 1960 to John (Bill) and Leota Mark in Hartley, Iowa. He graduated from Ankeny High School in 1978. After graduating from Ankeny High School in 1978, he attended Northern Arizona University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Police Administration and associate degrees in criminalistics and law enforcement in 1983.

During his time at Ankeny High School, in 1978, Dan met Patricia (Patti) Eveland. Dan and Patti remained together during his time at NAU, and they wed on June 11, 1983. Dan and Patti went on to have one child, Ryan Daniel Mark, in July 1986.

Following his graduation from NAU and marriage to Patti in 1983, Dan and Patti moved to Aurora, Colorado where Dan began his career as a police officer with the Aurora Police Department in 1984. Dan spent 34 years with APD and retired from the department in 2019 as a Lieutenant and commanding officer of the department’s electronic support section. In addition to his role at retirement, Dan spent 11 years at the rank of sergeant and was involved in various roles including hostage negotiator for the SWAT team, lead instructor for the APD training division, and president of the Aurora Police Association.

In 2019, following his retirement from APD, Dan joined the CU Anschutz Police Department in April as Deputy Police Chief. Dan also served as an adjunct instructor at the Community College of Aurora for 25 years.

In addition to his law enforcement service, Dan was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather who loved to travel the world and enjoy outdoor recreation activities throughout the Rocky Mountain region including camping, backpacking, and fishing. Dan also enjoyed attending and watching sporting events with his friends and family and was an avid fantasy football manager. Over the last seven years, his greatest joy was spending time with his granddaughters, Aubrey and Olivia. He will be deeply missed by his friends, family, and all who knew him.

Dan is survived by his wife, Patti; son, Ryan; daughter-in-law Megan; and two granddaughters, Aubrey and Olivia; as well as his mother Leota of Ankeny, Iowa; sister, Deanne Simonsen of Altoona, Iowa; nieces Stacy and Amy Simonsen of Iowa; and numerous aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins. He is preceded in death by his father John (Bill) of Ankeny, Iowa.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to the Colorado Fallen Hero Foundation at https://www.cofallenhero.org/donate.html or donations can be mailed to Colorado Fallen Hero Foundation – 2770 Arapahoe Road, Suite 123-143, Lafayette, Colorado 80026.

A memorial service for Dan will be held at Elevation Church, 15600 E Alameda Pkwy, Aurora, CO 80017, on Thursday 6/16/22 at 11 AM. A reception will follow at a nearby location.