The following excerpt was sent out from The Associated Press’ John Seewer:
Mark Gillispie
Mark Gillispie, a veteran journalist who wrote about many of Ohio’s biggest stories and characters during a four-decade career primarily with The Associated Press and The Plain Dealer in Cleveland, has died. He was 63.
Gillispie, who was diagnosed with cancer last fall, died Sunday while in hospice care, his children, Sam Gillispie and Martha Hanna Gillispie, said Monday.
“Journalism was Mark’s passion — poring over complicated documents, digging deep into stories, sharing sage advice to new reporters. But it was his family he was most passionate about,” said Christina Paciolla, AP’s deputy director for text and former Ohio state news editor. “We’d often swap stories of our families, and bond over everything from baseball to living with grief. We will all miss Mark terribly as a colleague but more importantly, as a friend.”
Gillispie grew up in Perry, Ohio, along Lake Erie. He was an avid cook, golfer, poker player and Cleveland sports fan, dreaming of the day when the city would celebrate a World Series championship.
He studied theater for a while at Wright State University, performed in community theater and enjoyed singing, though, he rarely shared his talent.
Gillispie served in the U.S. Army as a finance and accounting specialist, a time in his life that he said was transformative. He began his journalism career near his hometown at The News-Herald in Willoughby, where he was a reporter and editor. He met his wife there.
In addition to his two children, survivors include a brother and two sisters.