ASJ Mourns Loss Of Board Member, Advocate Mark Wagenveld

January 29, 2018

It is with great sadness that the board and staff of ASJ (formerly known as AJS) mourn the death of Mark Wagenveld after a battle with glastioblastoma. He was 73.

In 2013, when ASJ’s U.S. board recognized that the organization’s growing reach needed expertise in communications, Mark Wagenveld was a natural choice. A longtime ASJ supporter, deeply passionate both about Honduras and about justice issues, Mark also brought decades of experience in editing and journalism.

But Mark served the board with more than just communications expertise. Never one to call attention to himself, he nonetheless possessed a deep wisdom that informed many of the decisions that ASJ made through the years. Mark had a sharp intellect, and a propensity for insightful questions, honed after years at the Philadelphia Inquirer and other newspapers.

“He was a quiet, humble voice, but when he spoke it was profound,” says Jill Vanbeek, ASJ-US Director of Operations.

In his own behind-the-scenes way, Mark dedicated his life to this – asking the difficult questions and doing the difficult work of changing the world for the better, seeking always to bring about the Kingdom of God on earth, particularly in the places where God led him.

An avid reader of all news, but in particular news about Honduras, Mark believed strongly in ASJ’s approach to transformation in the country, a country he loved and to which he, his wife Terry Mond, and their daughters Grace and Sarah had a close personal connection.

Mark will be remembered by the ASJ community for his wisdom, his generosity and kindness, and his servant’s heart.

Though selfishly we mourn his absence, we rejoice in the knowledge that he is with his savior, experiencing the peace and justice that he devoted his life to while here on earth.

See Mark Wagenveld’s obituary in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

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