Mark M. Dalsing
August 20, 1966 to April 21, 2022
Mark M. Dalsing, 55, of Dubuque, Iowa passed away unexpectedly on Friday, April 15th 2022.
Visitation will be from 2:00 p.m. until 7:45 p.m. on Wednesday, April 20, 2022, at The Church of the Nativity, with a parish wake service beginning at 7:45 p.m.
The Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, April 21, 2022, at The Church of the Nativity with Fr. Andy Upah officiating. Burial will follow at Mount Calvary Cemetery, with honors accorded by the Dubuque Police Department and other law enforcement agencies.
Leonard Funeral Home & Crematory in Dubuque, IA is in charge of arrangements.
Mark was born August 20th, 1966 to Myron and Judith Dalsing. He was the rambunctious sibling to Lynn and Todd. Residing in Wisconsin and Iowa throughout his life he got to meet many people, many of which he was glad to call friends. He graduated from Southwestern High School in 1984 and then went on to the University of Wisconsin-Platteville to major in Criminal Justice. After graduating from college in 1988, Mark went to the police academy to officially become a police officer.
Mark joined the Dubuque Police Department on September 25th, 1989 as a patrolman, then became one of the first bicycle cops and quickly made his way through the rankings. Mark served as a Patrol Lieutenant, Community Policing Captain, and Criminal Investigations Division Captain before becoming Chief of Police in 2010, one of his most proud accomplishments. Throughout his time as Chief, Mark made many changes to the City of Dubuque. He was a proud board member to the American Red Cross, Boy Scouts of America, Project Concern and United Way of Dubuque Tri-States. One of the things Mark was most known for was his sense of humor when it came to Facebook posts for the Police Department. After retiring from the police department on September 25th, 2021, Mark became the Affordable Housing Director at Catholic Charities where he served until his passing. No matter his position, he always made sure to leave work at the door and put his family first.
While he enjoyed being an officer, he enjoyed being a husband and father more. Mark married Jennifer M. Eisbach on October 22nd, 1994 at the Church of Nativity in Dubuque. Their wedding was far from perfect. With the mother of the bride having a heart attack, to being locked out of the church and then losing their wedding photos. It didn't matter to Mark and Jennie though because at the end of the day they were now husband and wife. A year later they welcomed their son, Benjamin and two years later their daughter, Emilie. Benjamin later went on to follow in his hero's footsteps and also joined the criminal justice career.
Some of Mark's other proudest accomplishments were being admitted to the FBI National Academy in Quantico, VA in 2011. From there he went on to join the Presidential Leadership in 2016 where he had the honor of meeting past Presidents of the USA. He also received his Masters of Business from University of Dubuque where he was an adjunct Criminal Justice professor. Mark also had the honor of being sworn in as a US Marshall, as well as other accomplishments not listed. Mark was an avid participant in the Polar Plunge, dressing up in costumes to plunge into the Mississippi River to raise funds for the Iowa Special Olympics.
Mark enjoyed his retirement for a short while and could often be seen riding in his "new toy", a blue Jeep Wrangler. When he wasn't doing that you could find him walking on Grandview with Jennie and their dog Bucky or participating in 5K races throughout Dubuque. Mark was a huge Packer fan, going as far as painting their basement green and yellow. His favorite pastimes include buying collectable GI Joe figurines and mini football helmets.
Life threw a curve ball at the Dalsing's when Jennie was diagnosed with Breast Cancer in 2020. It was the scariest time of their lives but Mark made sure to be the light of the room and keep a smile on everyone's face. Mark could be heard cheering Jennie on as she rang the bell December 31st, 2020 that she was cancer free. Jennie truly was the love of his life.
Although he passed suddenly, Mark wouldn't want those who knew him to sit and mourn. Instead he would want everyone to honor his legacy by speaking memories of his past, laughing and joking and being an extra hand to those that needed it.
Left to honor Mark are his wife of 27 years, Jennie, his son Ben (McKenna Middendorf) Dalsing and daughter Emilie (Colten Wessels) Dalsing. His parents, Mike and Judy Dalsing of Lake Wales, FL/Asbury, IA; sister Lynn (Ken) Rigdon of Asbury and their children Kaley (Matthew) Burgmeier, Zachary Rigdon and Jackson (Becca Lahey) Rigdon; and brother Todd (Kim) Dalsing of Minneapolis, MN and their children Isabella and Xavier Dalsing. Mother-in-law Nancy Eisbach; sisters-in-law Tina (Dale) Berning of Hazel Green, WI and their children Nathan (Natalee Vavra) Berning and Natalie Berning; and Julie (Bill) Black of Farley, IA and their children Nicholas (Patti Koster) Brecht, Aidan, and Liam black; and his law enforcement family.
Mark joined his father in law Peter Eisbach, grandparents Maxine and LaVern Kowalski and Luella and Bernard Dalsing, and best friend Tony Richard in Heaven.
The Dalsing family would like to thank the Dubuque Police Department, Dubuque Fire Department Personnel, and emergency dispatchers that offered their assistance in an emergency moment. For 32 years, the department became another family. We cannot truly thank you all enough for everything. Thank you to Leonard Funeral home for honoring Mark as well.
A Mark Dalsing memorial fund had also been established for his favorite charities.
