Mark Granfors Funeral, May 13, 11:30 am

Posted on by jimvondracek

From his obituary in the Hyde Park Herald:

Mark W. Granfors passed away on February 27 at the University of Chicago Medical Center in Hyde Park with his sisters and pastor by his side. He was 73.

Mark was born July 17, 1949 in Syracuse, NY to William H. and Helen E. (nee Olson) Granfors. He moved with his family to Pennsylvania in 1963 and graduated from high school in Greensburg, PA in 1967. After high school Mark studied architecture and sociology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, MA, graduating with the class of 1971. Mark moved to Chicago in 1972 for post-graduate study in sociology at the University of Chicago and lived in Hyde Park for the remaining 50 years of his life. For many years Mark worked at the American Bar Foundation conducting research and providing technical support.

Mark was an avid cyclist, a voracious reader, and a self-taught IT expert. He was an active member of Augustana Lutheran Church in Hyde Park, serving as a church council member, an assisting minister, financial secretary, and a member of the church choir. He was dedicated to the Hyde Park community and volunteered as a board member and officer of the Nichols Park Advisory Council and as a board member of the Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference. Mark evidenced a strong interest in creating affordable housing and reducing homelessness through his work as a board member and client mentor with the Hyde Park Transitional Housing Project.

Mark is survived by his six brothers and sisters, Eric Granfors of Grand Prairie, TX, Paul Granfors (Sussan Pourjavid-Granfors) of Berkeley, CA, David Granfors of Alpharetta, GA, Ruth Granfors (Gene Weinberg) of Harrisburg, PA, Diane Granfors (Bob Usgaard) of Anchorage, AK, and Liisa Granfors-Hunt (Mark) of Greenbelt, MD, as well as two nephews, Jacob and Eli Weinberg.

A funeral service and interment of ashes will be held at 11:30 AM on Saturday, May 13 at Augustana Lutheran Church in Hyde Park.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Mark’s memory to Augustana Lutheran Church, 5500 S. Woodlawn Ave, Chicago, IL 60637.