MARK LENARD JUSTEN

MARK LENARD JUSTEN of McHenry, IL died March 29, 2020 at the age of 66. Graduating from Worsham College of Mortuary Science in 1976, Mark worked as the fourth generation at the George R. Justen & Son Funeral Home in McHenry. In 1983, he installed a crematory, serving funeral homes in the area. In 1985, Mark purchased the Wonder Lake Funeral Home, and in 1989, he purchased the Round Lake Funeral Home. After 125 years, the funeral home was relocated in 2008 and renamed the Justen Funeral Home & Crematory. In the 1980s, Mark began serving with the Illinois Disaster Response Team through the Illinois Funeral Directors Association. After its merger with the federal Disaster-Mortuary Operational Response Team (D-MORT), Mark was activated to serve on the response teams for several major fatality incidents, such as Hurricane Katrina, American Eagle Flight 4184 crash, and the Bourbonnais train derailment, as well as the World Trade Center terrorist at-tack on 9/11/2001. He was deployed to NYC, where he worked in Logistics Management for the Office of Chief Medical Examiner, where he helped with the receiving and intake of the victims' remains. He assisted in setting up the ancillary offices (where he earned the name "Mayor of 30th Street"); inventory management and multiple other duties, including assisting in setting up Memorial Park which stored the victims' remains.