Donald (Mark) Odland, Jr., 71, of Carlos, Minnesota, passed away on February 18, 2022.
Visitation will be 2-5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 27 at the Anderson Funeral Home in Alexandria. Visitation will continue at 10 a.m. Monday, Feb. 28 at Calvary Lutheran Church with a memorial service at 11 a.m.
Mark was born on October 26, 1950, to Donald and Mary Odland in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and grew up in Luverne, Minnesota, where he was an outstanding four sport athlete. After graduating from Luverne High School in 1968, he went on to attend Augustana College where he played basketball and, like his father before him, studied pre-med. After college, he enlisted in the National Guard. Mark went on to graduate from medical school at the Autonomous University of Guadalajara and completed his internship and residency in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
In 1974, Mark met Patricia Johnston. They wed in 1975. After Mark completed his medical training, he and Pat moved to Alexandria where they fulfilled their dream of building a home on Lake Carlos. Mark joined the Alexandria Clinic where he practiced family medicine and served as an on-call physician at Douglas County Hospital for 15 years. He helped generations of countless families and delivered hundreds of babies. In 2000, he transitioned to full-time emergency medicine at the hospital where he served for the remaining 20 years of his career. Mark retired in 2020.
Mark’s expertise and calm, caring demeanor was felt by the staff and patients alike. One of his co-workers recounted that when Mark entered the exam room, we had confidence that “everything was going to be okay.” The ER staff viewed him as a mentor, a friend, and a father figure. EMTs expressed feeling reassured when Mark was working. A colleague and friend shared, “Everyone here likes Mark. No, they love him”. His patients remember him as a caring physician who made time for them and really listened to their concerns. Through the years, he answered phone calls from concerned patients at any hour. Mark made many house calls for friends and neighbors and showed genuine compassion for those he served.
He loved the outdoors and had a passion for hunting pheasants and waterfowl, especially with his sons and brothers. Mark was an avid fisherman, eagerly anticipating his annual trips to Canada for over fifty years. He enjoyed countless hours of activities on Lake Carlos with his family. Mark found serenity being surrounded by nature. He once shared with Pat his love for solitary moments watching the sun rise at the farm.
Despite his quiet manner, Mark enjoyed playing practical jokes on his family, friends, and co-workers. He was an enthusiastic fan at his sons’ sporting events and other school activities, and in recent years, “Papa Mark” cherished his ten active grandchildren. He loved spending time with them and felt pride and joy as he watched them grow.
Mark was preceded in death by his father, Donald Mark Odland, Sr., and his mother, Mary. Mark is survived by his wife Pat, their three sons; Mark, (Rachel), Matthew (Kristin), and Anthony (Ashley), and his ten grandchildren; Brooke, Oliver, Charlotte, Jack, Magdalena, Isabelle, Evangeline, Henry, Barron, and Thea. He is also survived by his siblings; David (Sharon), Paul, Steven, and Debra, and his nieces and nephews.
(0224 v)