Mark Upchurch

Mark Frederic Upchurch of Grapevine passed away on August 19, 2024 at the age of 76.

Mark was born on October 22, 1947 in Winslow, Arizona. He was the only child of Dessa Mae (Burch) and Oran Upchurch.

He moved to the greater Los Angeles area as a child. He graduated from Venice High School and went on to LA Trade Tech.

Mark married Buffy in 1974 and was the proud father of Corey, Cristy, and Kevin. He moved his family and his parents to Grapevine in 1981.

He spent his working years as a corporate photographer, photographing events, golf tournaments, weddings, and families. He photographed all of the U.S. Presidents from Jimmy Carter to George W. Bush as well as a number of well-known jazz musicians. Mark took thousands of test photos of his family but rarely ended up in front of the camera.

Mark was an avid jazz fan and enjoyed sharing music of all kinds with friends and family.

Mark loved working on projects of all sorts - home improvement, woodworking, landscaping - and would enthusiastically share pictures from his iPad. He enjoyed cooking, pizza making, and was the unofficial historian for his extended family.

Mark was a fixture at the Grapevine Rec Center where he loved working out with friends and was an inspiration to others at the Rec. He had a competitive streak and enjoyed challenging people of all ages to a pull up contest.

Mark was generous with his time and advice for anyone who needed it. He loved spending time with his circle of friends.

Mark is survived by Buffy, his three children Corey Digiacinto and her husband Darren, Cristy Schmidt and her husband Troy, and his son Kevin, as well as his granddaughters Haley and Avery.

A memorial service will be held at the Bessie Mitchell House at the Grapevine Botanical Gardens on September 6 at 1:30pm. In lieu of flowers, he would have been honored by donations to the Grapevine Parks and Recreation Department. Click to Donate