Huntington's Disease is a hereditary neurodegenerative disorder that attacks both the mind and body. Currently, there is no cure.
Like his father and grandfather before him, Mark McClain suffered from, and eventually succumbed to complications from, HD. There is a 1-in-2 chance that children of HD sufferers will inherit the disease.
His passing was not in vain--Mark gave the ultimate gift in donating his brain to the McLean Hospital at Harvard Medical School.
Without research there is no hope for HD sufferers. Please help fund these critical programs by donating to the HDSA in memory of Mark McClain.
Thank You,
The Family of Mark McClain
Mark Hopewell McClain, 57, died from complication of Huntington’s disease on May 21, 2009, at Harbor Haven in Fond du Lac, where he resided.
He was born on May 4, 1952, to Kenneth R. and Nelda M. (Hopewell) McClain.
Mark grew up on the family farm near Brownsville. He attended schools in South Byron and Oakfield, graduating from Oakfield High School in 1970.
He had been a member of Oakfield Methodist Church and later attended Fond du Lac Assembly of God Church.
Mark loved music and in his younger days, he played rhythm guitar in several local bands including Executive Branch and Manchester. Music remained an important part of his life, and even as his disease progressed, he enjoyed singing nursery rhymes with his grandchildren.
On November 4, 1972, he married Mary Kahlhamer at Immanuel Lutheran Church, Waupun. They were married 18 years and had two children who meant the world to him.
Prior to being diagnosed with Huntington’s disease, Mark was employed as a cutter operator at Wright Brothers Paperbox Company, Fond du Lac.
He is survived by his son, William McClain (fiancée Jacqueline Geissler) of Minneapolis, and his daughter, Jennifer (Travis) Beek of Oshkosh; two grandchildren: Allison and Alexander Beek; his mother, Nelda McClain of Brownsville; two sisters: Kay (Gerald) Seliga of Illinois, and Roberta (Roger) Zarnowski of Brownsville; three nieces and one nephew.
He was preceded in death by his father, Kenneth, and his grandparents.