Mark William Kelly born on May 5, 1962, in Guelph, Ontario passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving family after a brief illness on July 4, 2026 at the age of 64yrs.

As a boy and young man, he shared his time between Guelph and the family dairy farm in Arkell, Ontario. He grew up with a love for family and farm life where a very strong work ethic was instilled in him. After high school he went to McMaster University and the University of Guelph where he obtained a BSc in biochemistry and went on to obtain a master’s degree in science (MSc) studying immunology. He met his wife, Karen, at McMaster University in 1987 and they were together almost 40yrs.

In 1998, Mark accepted a job in research at the University of Alberta and he and Karen started a new life out west, first in Edmonton and then Cochrane in 2000. He devoted his career to cancer research, starting at the University of Calgary then moving to the pharmaceutical world running clinical trials in oncology.

Mark and Karen married in 2000, and Matthew was born the following year. Matthew was the light of Mark’s life. He was so proud to be Matthew’s father, enjoyed all the fun times they had together and he admired Matthew for the fine young man he has become. We are grateful Mark was around for most of Matthew’s big milestones such as finishing high school, completing his engineering degree and starting his first job as an engineer. Mark had many wonderful family holidays with Karen and Matthew including many camping and skiing trips, Disneyworld, several trips to a small town in Mexico, an Alaskan cruise, San Francisco, trips to BC and Ontario, England, Italy and more recently a trip to Budapest, Vienna and Prague in 2025 - all of which have created cherished memories.

Mark had many, many interests and talents outside of work. He was a gardener, a downhill ski instructor, a bird enthusiast (caring especially for his beloved hummingbirds), a drummer and guitar player, a woodworker, a nutrition and exercise expert, an amazing vegan chef, a motorcyclist and dirt biker, and a stockbroker. He had a lifelong love of learning, taking many courses in topics which interested him such as learning to speak Spanish, playing guitar, avalanche and bear safety, and the Canadian Ski Instructors’ course (and many more, too numerous to mention). He loved nature, animals, the Rocky Mountains and hiking. In 2022 Mark took an epic solo motorcycle trip to the Arctic Circle, which was the trip of a lifetime. He was so handy, he could fix anything, worked on all the family vehicles and always had some project on the go. Before he passed away, he had many plans including hiking and camping trips, completing the sauna he was building in the backyard and starting a program in heavy-duty mechanics. He loved music and enjoyed many genres, but especially Steely Dan, the Doobie Brothers, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Sting, Christopher Cross, Toto, Peter Gabriel and Stevie Wonder. He had a quick and intelligent sense of humour which he shared generously with all of us on a daily basis. There was much music and laughter in our home.

Mark had many volunteer experiences. As a young man, he volunteered providing companionship to seniors and working at a cardiac rehabilitation clinic. Later, he volunteered in a carpentry shop at a pioneer village and, more recently he volunteered with the Cochrane Humane Society and Habitat for Humanity. Matthew cherishes the times Mark and Karen volunteered in his schools, and is grateful they both got to know his friends and teachers over the years.

Mark will be remembered for his passion for life, adventurous spirit, inquisitive mind, quiet wisdom, strong work ethic, independence, resilience and terrific sense of humour. So often he taught those around him lessons in all these respects. Not by intention, but through his actions. Above all, Mark was never afraid to be himself, or to adventure into the unknown, to simply try or do something new – his willingness to try, fail and learn were always a point of admiration for those who knew him and will be so fondly remembered and learned from.

Mark will be lovingly remembered and missed by his wife, Karen, son, Matthew and many friends and family.

The family extends their deepest thanks to his medical team and especially Dr. Street at the cancer clinic and the wonderful staff in the ICU at the Foothills Medical Centre.

To honour his wishes, no funeral is planned. If desired, donations in Mark’s name to the Arthur J. E. Child Comprehensive Cancer Center or the Cochrane and Area Humane Society would be very much appreciated.