The topeka Tornado Wrestling Club was shocked this past weekend in the sudden and untimely loss of one of our wrestling coaches, Mark Perez.

Those that know Mark personally know him as a fun loving, practical joker that was willing to devote time to help young wrestlers in this great sport. He has also devoted countless hours in fund raising efforts for Our Lady Guadelupe Church through the Fiesta Mexicana.

The Topeka Tornado Wrestling Club has created a Mark Perez Memorial Fund to help his family with medical and funeral expenses. Donations can be mailed to:

Mark Perez Memorial Fund
928 SW Frazier
Topeka, KS 66606

I thank you for your time and ask you to keep the Perez family in your prayers.

Jeremy Gibson
Topeka Tornado Wrestling Club coach
Sunflower Gold Freestyle/Greco Wrestling Club coach

P.S. I will provide everyone with more details as they come through this board.

Oh my god, that is shocking...

Good luck Perez's and the Topeka Family

Best wishes and prayers,
Brett Shoffner

That is a tragic loss. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family. Lil Mark is a great kid and has always been a joy to be around. Our thoughts and prayers espesially for him.

What a great loss. Keep your head up Mark. Your dad was an incrediable inspiration to our club, and to my husband Jim. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. See you soon, Head up.


Jeanene Goodwin
Jayhawk Kids Wrestling

For those planning to attend Mark's funeral:

"Mark Cleary Perez, I, 42, Topeka, died Sunday, Nov. 2, 2003, at a local hospital. Mark was born July 2, 1961, in Coffeyville, the son of Richard M. and Victoria M. Rodriguez Perez. He was a member of Coffeyville Boys Club, played and coached little league baseball, wrestled and graduated from Coffeyville High School in 1979. Upon his graduation, he moved to Topeka, where he was a member of Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church. He was a machinist at Allis Chalmers. After they closed, he worked for several other companies. Upon his death, he was a custodian for the Kaw Area VoTech USD No. 501. He volunteered on the entertainment committee for Fiesta Mexicana, he was a coach for Topeka Tornado Wrestling Club and played in several Topeka softball leagues. He married Rita M. Ortiz on May 1, 1981, in Topeka. She survives, of the home. Other survivors include his parents, Richard and Victoria Perez; a son, Mark Cleary Perez II; daughters, Angelina Maria Perez and Melissa Ann Perez; brothers, Richard J. Perez, Larry J. Perez, Patrick F. Perez and Philip M. Perez; and a sister, Teresa M. Perez Scheck, all of Topeka. Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10 a.m. Thursday at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church. Burial will follow at Mount Calvary Cemetery. Mr. Perez will lie in state after 4 p.m. Wednesday at the church with a Legion of Mary at 6 p.m., Parish Wake Service at 6:30 p.m. and a Scriptural Rosary at 7 p.m. The family suggests contributions to Mark Cleary Perez I Memorial Fund in care of Brennan-Mathena Funeral Home, 800 W. 6th Ave., Topeka, 66603.
Published in the Topeka Capital-Journal on 11/4/2003."

For those that have made a donation on behalf of the Fund created by the Tornado Club, we will forward those donations to his Fund with Brennan-Mathena.

You know, what's truely amazing about our sport is that we really are a family. I've never been a part of something so rewarding. I continually count my "lucky stars" of all the lives I been able to touch and more importantly, those that have been able to touch mine. I feel fortunate that I got a chance to meet Mark and the rest of the Perez family.

We are very sad to hear of the loss of Mark Perez. We will keep Lil Mark and the rest of the Perez families in our prayers. We met the Perez's thru the wrestling program and they are great people. Our hearts go out to Larry, Larry II and Mark II and their families. He will be sadly missed.

Ron, Connie, Matt & Brandon Rein

As a member of the "wrestling family" I too, wish to send my prayers to the Perez family. Mark will be missed by us all.

I would really like to thank everyone for there support. It has really helped. I speak on behalf of Markie and Me (Larry). He was truly a great men and always seam to helping out someone. He was always willing to lend a helping hand.


Larry

I am so angry and frightened to have lost a really close and wounderful brother like MARK. He always seamed to bring laughter in the room no matter when or where; rather it be in a wrestling room or at the Fiesta. He was not only a great brother to me but a wounderful and I mean wounderful uncle to my kids and family. He was always there for me thick and thin.
I really like to thank you for your support and all the help that you have gave to me and my family. Do me a favor never forget all the memories with him, through those memories he can stay alive.

Larry Perez II

It is very sad to not be able to look forward to seeing Mark at the tournaments. Our feelings and prayers are with all the family, friends and wrestlers who will miss him very much. His wrestling family is nation-wide.
The Tischhausers

To all the wrestling families that have posted messages on here, I would like to thank all of you for your thoughts and prayers for my dad and my family. I am one of Mark's daughters Melissa and I just wanted to thank all of you for your support. It is your support, thoughts, and prayers that will get me and my family through this hard time in our lives.
My father will be greatly missed. There aren't any words to describe how wonderful my father was. He may be gone phsyically but spiritually he will always be with us. He'll be in the stands or right there next to the mat cheering on the kids. Telling them to put the half in or get the take down. We'll all miss his smile and jokes, but we'll always have the memories we shared with him. We must not forget all the memories, because if we do that, then we'll forget him.
Thank you again from the Perez Family,

Rita, Angelina, Melissa, and Markie.