Mark Hostetler

Mark Hostetler was born on June 18, 1956, in Friend, Nebraska, and died at his home in Milford, Nebraska on September 10, 2025, after a short illness. He graduated from Friend High School in 1974.

Although never having participated in any organized sport, Mark was known as a true sports nerd. Starting with his favorite Nebraska Big Red football team, volleyball and basketball-and extending to all other sports both local and national, he had an uncanny ability to remember all the players, their history and statistics, and seemingly every game he had ever witnessed.

However, probably Mark's favorite sport was playing board games and other table games with his family. Scrabble and dominoes were high on the list, but he was always ready to take on anything suggested, especially if it involved interacting with his great-nieces and nephews.

Always up for a road trip, he made friends easily and never met an enemy. His years of driving a truck for Crete Carrier seemed to instill a love of traveling, finding new places and making new friends. After a disabling heart attack in 2013, he faced a lengthy and difficult recovery, but met the challenge and was finally able to hit the road again-just not in the driver's seat of an eighteen wheeler. Mark loved coffee and a good doughnut-or especially cookies-and friends to share them with. His famous response was always "Oooh, cookies ... "

He was preceded in death by his parents, F. Dale and Vivien Hostetler, and older brother Bruce Hostetler. His sibling survivors include Lynn Hostetler and wife Patricia (Columbia, MO); Coleen Cross and husband Dean (Milford, NE); and sister-in-law Cheryl Hostetler and husband Jerre Bontrager (Milford, NE). Additional survivors include other family members, aunts and uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews, great-nieces and nephews and countless friends.

We all will miss his gentle smile and his caring, generous spirit.

There will be an open-house memorial reception at the Bellwood Mennonite Church Fellowship Hall in Milford, NE, Friday, September 19, 2025, from 1:30 to 4:00 p.m. Please bring memories of Mark to share with his family and others. There will be plenty of his favorite cookies available to share.

Visitation: Thursday, September 18, 2025, 2:00 – 7:00 p.m. at the Lauber Funeral Home, Milford, NE.

Private Family Graveside Service: Blue Mound Cemetery, Milford, NE.

Memorials are in care of the family for a future designation.

Lauber Funeral and Cremation Services – Milford.