Mark R. Kaplan

Mark Kaplan of Phoenix, AZ died on January 11th 2018 surrounded by his family. Mark was a beloved husband and father, a respected coworker, and a cherished family member, friend, and mentor to many, many people. Mark was born on September 6, 1949 to Sam and Ruth Kaplan in Brooklyn, NY. He was the youngest of their three children: Inez, Marcia, and Mark. Mark was very bright and had a passion for learning throughout his life. He graduated from Brooklyn College with a major in History and continued on to receive a Master’s Degree in East Asian Studies and Modern Chinese History from Claremont McKenna College and was A.B.D. (all but dissertation) towards his Ph.D. at Claremont McKenna. As part of his studies he became fluent in Mandarin, a skill he continued to use throughout his career. Mark later received his MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business and graduated in 1983 with full honors, as a member of Beta Gamma Sigma. Mark’s zest for learning showed in his religious and historical studies, including Hebrew studies, as well as through his knowledge of stories. He was an incredible storyteller who enjoyed nothing more than sharing some of his hard-earned wisdom. Mark’s career began in the Social Security Office in Brooklyn and quickly turned towards banking and consumer credit risk. After graduating from NYU Stern, Mark began a long career in Consumer Credit Risk and worked for Citigroup for nearly 27 years. During his career he also spent time working for ABN AMRO Bank and Bank of America. His most recent position was as a Managing Director and Senior Risk Officer for Citigroup in Taipei, Taiwan. Outside of the office, he also served as a teacher. He taught credit risk courses in Taipei and taught a credit risk seminar for the government of the People’s Republic of China. Mark retired from banking on May 31, 2017. The two most significant moments in Mark’s life were his marriage to Jennifer on September 25, 1977 and the birth of their daughter, Lauren, on January 1, 1987. He adored them and wanted the best for both of them. Mark is survived by his wife Jennifer of Phoenix, AZ; his daughter Lauren of New York, NY; sister Marcia Szewchuk of Glen Spey, NY; niece Alison Miller of Morristown, NJ; nephew William Miller of Brooklyn, NY; his nephew Steven Appelson of Fairfield, CT; and his niece Debbie Greenberg of Manhasset Hills, NY. Condolences can be sent directly to his wife and daughter at markrkaplan_2000@yahoo.com.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that people consider making a donation in Mark’s honor to the Muscular Dystrophy Association (

https://www.mda.org/

) or the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation (

http://www.myasthenia.org/

). Mark suffered from and surmounted both, so they were causes that were near to his heart.

A memorial gathering will be held on Wednesday, January 17th from 4pm – 6pm at the Bueler Chandler Mortuary in Chandler, AZ on 14 W. Hulet Dr. (January 17th is the seventh day of the family sitting shiva.) Details about a memorial service on the East Coast around the end of sheloshim, the period of 30 days of mourning, will be published soon.