George Mark Cipolla

George ‘Mark’ Cipolla was born on June 30, 1958, in Washington D.C to Victor and Joanne Cipolla. He passed away on July 9, 2021, surrounded by his family.

After receiving his law degree from Gonzaga University, Mark dedicated nearly 30 years of his life to serving the community as a Spokane County prosecutor. He was not just a ‘good guy’, he was absolutely the ‘best guy’. Mark wore many other hats, including ranch hand, horse whisperer, on-call spider squasher, as well as self-proclaimed electrician, plumber, and contractor for family and friends.  When his professional workday was done, this cowboy passed on his love of horses and the outdoors to his children and grandchildren. Mark’s passion for horse-back riding in the Blue Mountains left his friends with legendary tales, which grew and changed over time, or after drinking a ‘snakebite’ or two.  

One of Mark’s favorite places was the family cabin, aka “the Onion Patch,” in Twin Lakes, ID. He was a firm believer that if you came to the lake you were going to get wet. His tradition of throwing people into the lake - swimsuit or not, is how Mark lived his life. Jumping ‘all in’ was how he did everything, and rarely with permission. He cherished every moment. 

Mark’s love for his friends and family was the essence of who he really was - he always had your back. Mark was the one you called for anything, be it moving, changing the oil in your car, tiling a bathroom, roofing a house, or just offering his opinion or advice when solicited, and even when it wasn’t; the list was endless. He always offered guidance to his children, which often came in the form of a stern lecture about what should be done, how to do it, how to fix it when you didn’t do it right, and how to make it better next time.  You always knew how much Mark cared by the volume of his voice.  

Mark was married to the love of his life and best friend Brook aka “Bud” for almost 35 years.  They would affectionately joke that it seemed like 35 minutes …. underwater.  He was a loving husband, father, ‘Papa’, brother, uncle, and friend - a constant in our lives. Mark was always in motion; he never slowed down but took time to learn many hobbies. One that he was extremely proud of was making wine - a man can only have so much Yukon Jack.

Mark was exceptionally proud and bragged about his children and grandchildren. He was their number one fan, from coaching softball to attending their every sporting event. Mark loved playing cribbage and fishing with his grandchildren.  He loved roughhousing with many generations of kids, nephews, nieces, and grandkids, hardly ever resulting in tears.

Mark is preceded in death by his parents Victor and Joanne. He is survived by his wife Brook; children Taylor Cipolla, Rory Cipolla, Paden (Micheal) Crane; his grandchildren Wyatt, Adam, and Rose Cipolla; his brothers and sisters Victor Cipolla, Anne Cipolla, John (Susie) Cipolla, and Tia (Todd) Lindstrom, as well as many nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, it was Mark’s wish that any memorial tributes be made in the form of charitable donations to Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery and the University of Washington Institute of Prostate Cancer Research Fund.

Mark’s celebration of life will be Saturday July 17, 2021, at 9:30 am, at the Schmidt Cattle Company, 17117 N. Madison Rd. Mead, WA 99021. Attire is country casual; no ties or jackets allowed.  To share memories of Mark and leave condolences for the family, visit Mark's Tribute Wall.