Obituaries

Mark Huntsman, age 45, passed away unexpectedly on December 30, 2024. He was born in Madison on November 21,1979 to William “Bill” and Randi (Holt) Huntsman. Mark taught himself to read when he was three and had a brilliant mind that often saw connections among things that were not immediately apparent to others.

As a boy, Mark loved maps and categorizing things. He spent his allowance on baseball cards and moved players around to create new teams—perhaps the first fantasy leagues! He later developed a passion for adventurous foods, history, cultures and travel.

Mark took some time off after graduating from the UW-Madison with a degree in French and Linguistics, then headed south to Louisiana to continue his studies at LSU. Only Mark could write a Master’s thesis based on food (French and West African roots of New Orleans’ cuisine); needless to say, he loved the research for that. He followed that with a Ph.D. on conflict in the Francophone world.

Moving back to Madison to be near friends and family, Mark worked as a Captioning Assistant at CAPTEL (a captioning service for hearing-impaired). He became deeply interested in architecture and traveled extensively throughout Wisconsin, using his iPhone to photograph interesting buildings, churches and cemeteries/gravestones. He had a gift for composition and his photographs garnered a following on social media. Seeing a stranger photographing their house sometimes caused owners to come out and ask Mark what he was doing. Mark’s enthusiastic explanation often resulted in his being invited inside for a tour.

Another great passion were the meet-up groups Mark hosted. Activities varied widely, and Mark made sure to include some building tours and even nature walks that could be enjoyed by people with mobility issues. Often, these meetups were followed by a group meal at an intriguing restaurant. It was at one of these meetings that Mark met his girlfriend and life-partner of the past eight years, Dawn Cieszynski.

Mark is survived by his parents, Bill and Randi; his brother, David (Malia) Huntsman and their three children; his aunts, Lois (Robert) Conrardy, Sandra Holt, Lori (Jim) Williams; and his loving and supportive partner, Dawn Cieszynski.

As one of Mark’s many friends wrote about his passing, “He always organized the best adventures for us, and he always found the perfect places for us to eat. Mark was so knowledgeable about architecture and history. I learned so much from him. … My words to Mark would be, you may not believe it, but you made the world a better place. So many of us will miss you. I hope you’ve found peace.”

Visitation will be from 10:00 -11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, January 15, 2025, at Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish, 401 S Owen Dr, Madison with a mass of Christian burial to follow at 11:00 a.m. If you are not able to join in person, please check the following link at mass time to view the mass: https://www.youtube.com/live/mVwSTQ3dPJo.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests memorial donations be made to the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Dane County (NAMI) or the food pantry at St. Vincent de Paul (https://svdpmadison.org/ donate/).

To view or leave a condolence, please visit: www.ryanfuneralservice.com.

Ryan Funeral Home & Cremation Services

2418 N Sherman Ave

608-249-8257