Nightingale, Mark L., 61, March 15, 2013. Interment held in the New Limerick Cemetery. Arrangements by Bowers Funeral Home.
NEW LIMERICK – Mark Leavitt Nightingale was gathered into the arms of his heavenly Father on March 15, 2013 at his home on Drews Lake, surrounded by his family. He was 61 years old.
Mark was born May 15, 1951 in Houlton. He was the first of Emery and Norma Leavitt Nightingale’s four children and would become the third generation of Nightingales to farm New Limerick soil.
He attended the Tannery School in New Limerick and graduated from Houlton High School in 1969. Upon graduation, Mark enlisted in the Maine Army National Guard. After completing basic training and being recognized as an expert marksman, he was assigned to the first battalion of the 152nd Field Artillery, Battery B in Houlton. Mark served as a truck driver with the unit until 1975, when he was honorably discharged as a Specialist.
It was during this time that he met and married Judy Botting. They were married on July 12, 1974, in New Limerick, and made their home there as Mark continued to work the family farm. Together with his father and brother, Buzzy, he worked to expand the farm and adapt to the ever-changing market conditions over the years. He was recognized across the state for his efforts at engineering the first ever piggy-back shipments of potatoes via the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad in the 1980s. As a result of Mark and his family’s hard work, Nightingale Farms continues to remain an active operation in New Limerick. Farming was not his job, but a way of life. His family was more than just business partners; they were his close friends.
When he wasn’t farming, Mark enjoyed spending time with Judy and his two children, Matthew and Becky. More often than not, that family time was spent engaging them in any one of his many hobbies, whether it was flying, making spur of the moment trips, restoration projects, auctions, tending the ‘livestock’ or just taking care of the horses.
Mark was also very active in his church. He was a member of Shiretown Baptist Church since its inception in 1997. From assisting with the bus ministry to serving as a deacon, Mark was continuously active, regardless of where he found himself. He was among a handful of men whose convictions regarding Christian education furthered the establish-ment of the area’s first Christian school in 1982, resulting in what eventually became Greater Houlton Christian Academy.
Even though many knew him through the farming business or because of his flying escapades, his faith and trust in the Lord is what truly defined his life. His faith was the basis for his constant joy and it was revealed in every aspect of his life, from sharing what God had done for him with those around him to inviting total strangers into his home to spend the holidays.
It was his faith which provided him and his family comfort and joy through his courageous fourteen-year battle with brain cancer. As long as he was able, he told those around him about the grace and mercy of the Lord in allowing him to live so far beyond the doctors’ initial prognosis. It was his faith that carried him home when he finally succumbed to his illness.
Mark is survived by Judy, his wife of nearly 39 years. He is also survived by his son, Matthew, and his wife, Heidi (Leach) Nightingale, and their children, Kathryn, Alyssa and Emery, as well as his daughter, Becky MacIlroy and her husband, Sam, and their daughter, Natalie.
He is also survived by his mother, Norma, his sister, Linda Dorr and her husband, Ricky of Bar Island; his sister, Karla Harrison and her husband, Paul of New Limerick. He is also survived by his brother and business partner, Frank “Buzzy” Nightingale and his wife, Andrea, of New Limerick in addition many nieces, nephews and cousins, aunts and uncles.
Mark was predeceased by his father, Emery.
Services were held on Monday, March 18 at County Road Baptist Church with Pastor Jamie Gardner officiating. Following the service, Mark was carried to his final resting place at the New Limerick Cemetery in a wagon he built, drawn by his beloved horses Cloud and Emma. Donations in his memory can be made to Greater Houlton Christian Academy, 27 School Street, in care of Bowers Funeral Home. www.bowersfuneral.com.
