Mark Kemsley Mowatt

After a challenging battle with brain cancer, Mark died peacefully with family at his side on January 18, 2020. Mark was born in Detroit Michigan on December 28, 1948. He was an excellent athlete and became a Michigan All State football quarterback while in high school. He received a full football scholarship to Holy Cross College in Worcester, Massachusetts where he continued to show his athletic skill.

Upon graduating with a bachelor’s degree, Mark moved to Florida and after a couple of years moved to Santa Barbara. There he met and married Susan Wilber. They were married for thirty-five years and had two children together. Mark worked as an insurance claims adjustor for Farmers Insurance for thirty years before his retirement.

He is survived by Susan and his two children, Matthew Mowatt of Goleta and Megan Mowatt of Santa Barbara. He is also survived by his three siblings, Julie Mowatt, Mike Mowatt, and Pam Tannenbaum and by numerous nieces and nephews.
Mark will always be remembered for his athletic prowess, both in football as well as golf, his wild and colorful storytelling, and his extreme love for his children as well as the care and attention he gave to his own parents. One of his nephews, Todd Wilber, expressed in words how he and his siblings felt about Mark: We always loved it when the Mowatts were coming to visit. It was always a guarantee of countless laughs and fun. Mark was unlike a lot of the other “adults” that would visit us in that he always asked us about everything. He was so genuine, soft spoken, kind, charismatic and hilarious. I’ve never met anyone like Mark since and he was inspiring in so many ways. He had an old school chivalry that is all but forgotten these days. Mark was never bored with us kids and never brushed us off so he could talk to the adults. He always engaged us in conversation or playing catch or a game. The best part about it was he was serious.

Mark is greatly missed by family and friends who are grateful that Mark’s independent and stubborn nature allowed him to maintain the utmost dignity until his death.

No publice services will be held per his request.