Remembering Mark Aguirre

Remembering Mark Aguirre

September 10, 1966 ~ April 7, 2020 (age 53)

Mark & Alicia met in the 90s at Silverado Country Club which is now Silverado Resort while working at Room Service and the Front Desk. In the mid-1990’s they departed for Washington State which would lead them on a lifelong journey while following Mark’s federal law enforcement career. Mark’s career took them as far off as Guatemala on his last assignment and upon return stateside diagnosed with Stage 4 metastatic Gastric Cancer.

Moments with Mark

  • Yountville, CA August 2019

  • Playtime with our nephew Darren, 2019

  • Mark and Alicia's engagement photo, 1993

  • Top Naco Award - Arizona, 1998-2000 (ish)

  • Mark on an adventure, 2020

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  • Mark its his mom, Mickey, 1998

  • Mark his high school buddy Al and his brother Frank, Nov. 2019 ** Fight On! **

  • Summer 2019 (recovering from a clinical trial)

  • Mark with his border patrol colleagues, Charles, and Dave. (Sometime between 1998-2001)

Mark is known for his infectious smile, cheery disposition, and great love for his Raiders most of his closest friends. Throughout his life he has always been a light, full of laughter - he loved to joke and had a great sense of humor, and was an inspiration to many. He pursued his life with an unbridled passion. He was tenacious, unapologetic, and the kindest man. If he liked you - you knew it. He took these attributes and pushed them into an amazing career that he crafted through the years making unbelievable strides - always to better himself and the world in which he was making his true “Mark”.

He leaves a void in many, many hearts.

Mark’s Story

Mark retired on February 28, 2019 to focus on family and his health.

Rest In Peace

On April 7, 2020 Mark Anthony Aguirre, born in Saint Helena, California on September 10, 1966 to Francisco and Micaela Aguirre, peacefully passed away surrounded by his wife and adult children. He attended Napa schools and graduated from Justin-Siena Catholic High School, Class of 1984, as a Braves football state champion. Attending Sacramento State University for a couple of years and working in various jobs he then began working at Silverado Country Club where he would meet and later marry his wife Alicia of 25 years. Their daughter, Lauren would join their little family in 1995 and soon followed son Jacob in 1997.

Mark retired from Immigration and Customs Enforcement after a 23 year federal law enforcement career which began in 1996 as a Border Patrol Agent in Naco, AZ. Mark’s career took he and his family to places they never imagined like moving to the east coast to work at ICE Headquarters in Washington, D. C. (2011) followed by an overseas assignment in Guatemala as an Assistant Attaché a short time later (2014). He directed repatriation operations requiring complex coordination, management and facilitation efforts with foreign and U.S. government agencies to remove aliens from the United States. Colleagues recall his loyalty and dedication to the mission and a guy who made the best of every opportunity.

Mark received numerous awards, including the Department of Homeland Security Secretary's Award for Excellence in 2014, an ICE Director’s International Achievement Award in 2012 and 2015 and an ICE ERO Director’s award in 2016 for Outstanding Enforcement Accomplishment.

Throughout his kids younger years he volunteered at numerous school functions - chaperoning occasionally (he drove around band students for their fall fundraiser - indoctrinating him to life with a band kid), reading in the classroom and providing early morning supervision on the playground. But one of his favorite things though was coaching their soccer teams from 2003 2008 while they were living in Port Angeles. WA. He was an avid fan of sports - especially soccer and football.

In March 2018, Mark & Alicia returned to the west coast settling in SW Washington where they had moved to in 1993. After 23-years of federal law enforcement career, Mark retired on February 28, 2019 to focus on family and his health.

Upon retirement, Mark started volunteering with Debbie’s Dream Foundation and put his professional skills to use lobby Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. this past February with 100 other volunteer advocates to advocate for Gastric Cancer patients nationwide speaking to and with Senators, Representatives and staffers to request additional funding for a cancer that is not researched nor funded extensively for reticent cancers for the fiscal year 2021.

Mark is survived by his wife Alicia, his daughter Lauren and son Jacob, his father, Francisco, brothers Frank (Ivy) and Aaron and sister Lucy (Rodney), nephews Darren and Jordan and niece Rachel as well as numerous aunts, uncles and cousins. He preceded in death by his mother, Micaela Aguirre. Funeral Mass will be June 25, 2020 at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Vancouver, WA. Internment will be private and a celebration of life will be scheduled at a later date.

We raise a glass of our favorite libation - a good IPA from his local brewery was his favorite - to a great husband, father, son, brother, and friend! Eternal Rest grant unto him oh Lord and let perpetual light shine upon him.