SEQUIM — Sequim’s skate park has been named after Mark Simpson, a longtime advocate for the skate community who died in April 2024.
Using a moniker given to Simpson and with his family’s blessing, the skate park near the entrance of Carrie Blake Community Park will be known as the “MarkeMark Simpson Skatepark.”
Sequim City Council members voted 6-0 with Dan Butler excused to make the name change on March 10.
Family members and friends said after the meeting they are considering a type of plaque or sign to add to the park.
Simpson’s wife Shelly attended the meeting with two of their three children along with family friends. After the vote, she said it was a “really cool” honor.
“I’m just overwhelmed that Mayor (Brandon) Janisse thought to reach out and initiate that, and it makes me feel like I live in a town where you can feel loved and seen,” she said.
“I feel deeply honored that people valued Mark, and I appreciate that.”
Janisse proposed Jan. 13 to rename the park to honor Simpson for his skating advocacy and for creating a sense of community and a safe place for children to go.
He wrote in a letter saying Simpson was a “tireless advocate for the often-underrepresented skateboarding community in Sequim … and sought support from local businesses and organizations to renovate the skate park in Carrie Blake Park, ensuring it would serve future generations of skaters.”
Janisse said Simpson prioritized the park’s upkeep and organized volunteer efforts to clean it too.
Under a resolution for renaming city-owned property, council members agreed to open a 30-day comment period. Of the 10 written comments on record, nine were in favor of the name change.
At the March 10 meeting, Simpson’s best friend Gary Barrs thanked the council.
“Mark meant a lot to this skating community (and) Mark just loved living here,” he said. “He loved being part of the skate park and trying to just help kids just enjoy that, but he wanted to see it improved.
“If anything, just thanks for thinking of him and just remembering him. He meant a lot to a lot of people around here, so thank you for that.”
In 2016, Simpson helped start the Sequim Youth Skate Park Foundation due to the park’s deteriorating condition and lack of water mitigation.
“It’s drastically needed because it’s used all the time,” he said in 2017.
To make improvements, he led many fundraisers that brought in about $25,000 through the years and still await use at the park, Shelly previously said. A concept design for a revamped skate park was done in 2016, but Simpson said it would cost $700,000 to $1 million with no dedicated funds available through the city.
His foundation continues with Shelly and others in hopes someone else will want to take on the effort to improve the skate park for skaters and cyclists.
“Hopefully his vision of a new skate park is in the future plans,” Janisse said in January.
‘MarkeMark’
Shelly said “MarkeMark” was a nickname her husband received in the Seattle skate community and board sport community in the 1990s when he was working for Mervin Manufacturing.
The couple met in church while living in Seattle, she said, and they were married for 30 years.
He died at the age of 52 on April 17, 2024. Simpson was diagnosed with stage 4 esophageal and stomach cancer in May 2023.
He got his start skateboarding in Springfield, Ore., when he was 12.
In a 2023 interview, he said the coincidence of growing up in Springfield as a Simpson wasn’t lost on him later in life.
As he became an adult, he continued to skate, and was chronicled for doing an ollie — where a rider and board leap without hands — daily for more than two years, rain or shine.
He tried restarting the effort in 2023, but recurring pain led him to go to a doctor, which resulted in the cancer diagnosis. He had to take medical leave from Costco, where he worked for 10 years prior to his death. A Gofundme was started to benefit his family.
Daughter Emma and second-oldest son Ayden said they are proud of their dad and the park’s name change.
“Honestly, I think it’s really cool because he worked for years and years on the skate park trying to get enough money to get it remodeled, and I don’t know if it will be remodeled, but at least he is remembered for his efforts,” Emma said.
Ayden said his dad deserved the honor for his dedication to the park and skate community.
“He worked for a long time just to try and improve it, and that never came to pass, but at least he will be recognized for his efforts, and I think that means a lot to my family.”
For more information about the Sequim Youth Skate Park Foundation, visit sequimyouthskateparkfoundation.com.
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Matthew Nash is a reporter with the Olympic Peninsula News Group, which is composed of Sound Publishing newspapers Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum. He can be reached by email at matthew.nash@sequimgazette.com.
