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> > Passing of Mark Libertone



Feathers5September 17th, 2013, 9:16 am
Posts: 287I read on another forum that Mark has passed away. So sorry!
WbranchSeptember 17th, 2013, 9:39 am
York & Starlight PA

Posts: 2733
This is a link to Mark's FB page. He was a heck of a great tier and from what I'd seen here on Troutnut a great guy. Very sorry to hear of his passing.

https://www.facebook.com/mark.libertone
Catskill fly fisher for fifty-five years.
FalsiflySeptember 17th, 2013, 9:45 am
Hayward, WI.

Posts: 661
His contribution will be missed.
Falsifly
When asked what I just caught that monster on I showed him. He put on his magnifiers and said, "I can't believe they can see that."
Feathers5September 17th, 2013, 10:04 am
Posts: 287Can someone find and post an obit?
EntomanSeptember 17th, 2013, 1:36 pm
Northern CA & ID

Posts: 2604
He was a professional artist with tremendous talent. His watercolors of angling scenes are beautiful. Wet flys were his area of tying expertise and he really expressed his artistry there as well. He loved to tie and fish soft hackles, flymphs and classic wet flies, especially wingless wets. He was always the gentleman. He will be greatly missed...

Can someone find and post an obit?

Spence -

I believe you were closest to him here, would you do the honors?
"It's not that I find fishing so important, it's just that I find all other endeavors of Man equally unimportant... And not nearly as much fun!" Robert Traver, Anatomy of a Fisherman
Jmd123September 17th, 2013, 3:54 pm
Oscoda, MI

Posts: 2611
RIP Mark. We will all miss you. Now you are fishing that Great River in the Sky, where I'm certain your soft hackles will all be exactly what the trout there want. Wish I had more to time get to know you, and fish with you...

Jonathon
No matter how big the one you just caught is, there's always a bigger one out there somewhere...
CaseyPSeptember 17th, 2013, 11:13 pm
Arlington, VA/ Mercersburg, PA

Posts: 653
Mark was a great example of folks who will give forum members a lot of help just for the fun of it. Because of what he taught us here, I tie and fish wet flies every trip out. Thank you, Mark! We're going to miss you and your lovely art.
"You can observe a lot by watching." Yogi Berra
PaulRobertsSeptember 18th, 2013, 2:38 am
Colorado

Posts: 1776
Oh my. Goodbye, Mark. Your life was a rich one. Thanks for bringing a little of that to us here.
GutcutterSeptember 18th, 2013, 7:02 am
Pennsylvania

Posts: 470
Mark E. Libertone Sr., 65, of 222 Madison Street, Wellsville, NY, passed away on Monday, September 16, 2013 at home with his family at his side. He was born September 14, 1948 in Syracuse the son of the late Ernest and Ida (Demperio) Libertone. On August 23, 1969 in Solvay, NY he married Mary Elizabeth Torzon who survives.

Mark was a 1968 graduate of Solvay High School and graduated Magna Cum Laude from Syracuse University with a B.F.A. in Art and a M.S. in Synaesthetic Education. He served with the U.S. Army from 1969 to 1972, achieving the rank of Specialist 5th Class. He moved his family to Wellsville in 1981and taught art at Wellsville High School till 1984.

He was employed at Umiker Monument Works as a layout and design artist. In 1990 he began freelancing as a graphic artist and in 1999 began working in computer graphics. He was the official artist for the Greater Wellsville Trout Derby since its inception. He also had illustrations in Fly Fisherman Magazine and the Maine Sportsman Magazine.

Mark was avid outdoorsman, but was especially known for his love of fly-fishing. He wrote numerous articles for the Wellsville Daily Reporter as well as for online magazines. He was an international known fly tyer, often doing fly tying demonstrations. His fly patterns can be found on various web sites. He was a founding member and served as both President and Secretary of the Upper Genesee River Chapter of Trout Unlimited. He was a past member of the Wellsville Rod & Gun Club, where he served as a New York State Certified Hunter Education Instructor for 20 years. He was the Founder of Flymphforum.com; where you can learn and discuss flymphs, soft hackles and spiders. He was also co-founder of the International Brotherhood of the Flymph with his good friends, Jim Slattery & William Anderson.

Surviving in addition to his wife is one son, Mark (Tammy) Libertone II of Wellsville, four daughters, Margaret (Doug) Dixon, Mary (Andrew) Dailey, Michelle (Bill) Libertone-Cook all of Wellsville and Melissa (Harley) Lamphier of Scio, one brother, Carl (Cheryl) Libertone of Solvay, 14 grandchildren, Cody, Caitlyn, Jessica & Maegan Dixon, Nathaniel Libertone, Austin Dailey, Mark Libertone III, Elinor Cook, Harley II, Gwendolyn and Lincoln Lamphier, Camille, Dustin & Colin Norton, great-grandson, Nathaniel Libertone Jr, three brothers-in-law, Tony (Carmela) Torzon of Liverpool, Frank (Pam) Torzon of Solvay and Joseph Torzon of Syracuse, three sisters-in-law, Virginia (Ray) Anthony, Betty (Kevin) Green and Jeanette (Allan) Leonard all of Syracuse and his Godchildren, Kristopher & Kristen Green of Syracuse ; as well as several nieces nephews and his beloved Yorkie companion, Nellie.

He was predeceased in addition to his parents, by four grandchildren, Logan & Hunter Dixon and twins, Victor & Vincent Lamphier, his inlaws, Anthony and Virginia (DeGaetano) Torzon, brothers-in-law, John and Steve Torzon, grandmother, Margaret Rinaldo Moseuk and grandfather, Carmine D'Imperio.

Friends are invited to call on Thursday from 2-4 & 7-9 pm and Friday from 10 to 10:30 am at the J. W. Embser Sons Funeral Home Inc. in Wellsville. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday, September 20, 2013 at 11:00 in St. Joseph's Church in Scio, NY with Rev. Sean DiMaria as Celebrant. Burial will be in Woodlawn Cemetery, Wellsville. The family suggests memorial donations to Home Care & Hospice.


Mark asked that I remind all of you over the age of 50 to have a screening colonoscopy
All men who fish may in turn be divided into two parts: those who fish for trout and those who don't. Trout fishermen are a race apart: they are a dedicated crew- indolent, improvident, and quietly mad.

-Robert Traver, Trout Madness
CrepuscularSeptember 18th, 2013, 7:38 am
Boiling Springs, PA

Posts: 923
Thanks Tony.
EntomanSeptember 18th, 2013, 11:48 am
Northern CA & ID

Posts: 2604
Yes.
"It's not that I find fishing so important, it's just that I find all other endeavors of Man equally unimportant... And not nearly as much fun!" Robert Traver, Anatomy of a Fisherman
Jmd123September 18th, 2013, 11:53 am
Oscoda, MI

Posts: 2611
Wow, that's one hell of a life well lived...he should be an inspiration to all of us. Thanks for posting this Tony, is that from a local newspaper or did you prepare that? Sounds like you knew him well.

"...passed away...at home with his family at his side." That's how we should all go, surrounded by loved ones until the very end. And he had a very big family...

"...International Brotherhood of the Flymph..." Wow, how cool is that? One of so many great accomplishments. As I said, I wish I had more time to get to know him.

Rest in Peace, Mark, we'll all see you again someday, and by then you'll have all the best spots picked out for us to try your soft hackles in. Some say when we die, we go to a "better place". Well, if there's a better place for Mark, I'm sure it's loaded with trout and he is stringing up his fly rod right now as I write this.

Jonathon
No matter how big the one you just caught is, there's always a bigger one out there somewhere...
Jmd123September 18th, 2013, 1:39 pm
Oscoda, MI

Posts: 2611
Not sure who said this, but I found a quote I consider most appropriate here:

"There is no tragedy in a life well lived that runs its course.
But there is loss."

Jonathon
No matter how big the one you just caught is, there's always a bigger one out there somewhere...
AdirmanSeptember 18th, 2013, 5:09 pm
Monticello, NY

Posts: 505
Yes, I didn't know him, but saw him once at the Catskill Flyfishing Museum.Very sorry to hear it.
OldredbarnSeptember 19th, 2013, 11:17 am
Novi, MI

Posts: 2608
http://www.danica.com/flytier/

This is Hans Weilenmann's site where you can find some of Marks flies. Look through the list of tyers until you find Mark Libertone. Jim Slattery is also there, as is Steve Williams. Steve gave me one of the last pins designed by Mark for the International Brotherhood of the Flymph last year up in Grayling.

One of Hans' videos, "the Lil' Dorothy", is of Hans tying Marks wingless wet version of the Little Dorothea. He mentions in the vid that it is Marks fly.

I spent a few days on my recent trip out west at Slattery's place called the Campfire Lodge...Jim's Fly Shop is there as well. Mark sent me there years ago to purchase Whiting hen sets. The shop has a room known as the room of hackle and you would not believe it unless you were standing there. Mark also was the first one that sent this macho-man in to Jo Ann Fabrics to purchase embroidery thread so I could tie flies like the Lil' Dorothy.

I know that it really doesn't need to be said that Mark was "old-school"...In the obit above that Tony posted is Mark's address...I will just add the zip-code 14895 so maybe we all could go a little old-school and march down to a card shop and send the family an old-school card. Mark and his family were very close and their support helped him through the last couple years. Let them know he was one of us.

As Tony also mentioned, Mark did not hesitate to let us know, that if he had had an earlier screening, things possibly could of gone a little differently for him. He and Tony burnt my ear until I went down and had a complete exam...It was so uneventful I can't remember it...It is important!

I am heading up to Grayling to help clean up the Manistee. I have removed all the flies from my vest except the Libertone Box and will proudly wear my International Brotherhood of the Flymph pin...

Thanks for everything, Tony!

Spence

"Even when my best efforts fail it's a satisfying challenge, and that, after all, is the essence of fly fishing." -Chauncy Lively

"Envy not the man who lives beside the river, but the man the river flows through." Joseph T Heywood
Jmd123September 19th, 2013, 11:55 am
Oscoda, MI

Posts: 2611
"I have removed all the flies from my vest except the Libertone Box..." WOW Spence! Your back will be feeling much better now...but what a great gesture of sacrifice to honor our fallen comrade. Gonna use them exclusively on your next trip? Do let us know how that turns out if you do, I might have to start tying some myself one of these days.

Yep, I turn 50 in a few months, and my doctor told me to get a colon screening. Sound advice, thanks Mark (and Tony and Spence).

Jonathon
No matter how big the one you just caught is, there's always a bigger one out there somewhere...
TroutnutSeptember 20th, 2013, 12:03 am
Administrator
Bellevue, WA

Posts: 2737
So sorry to hear about Mark. He was a fantastic artist, angler, and person.
Jason Neuswanger, Ph.D.
Troutnut and salmonid ecologist
SayfuSeptember 20th, 2013, 2:20 pm
Posts: 560Frustrating...I made a post, and it didn't get posted?
TroutnutSeptember 20th, 2013, 2:38 pm
Administrator
Bellevue, WA

Posts: 2737
Sorry about that Sayfu. You might be able to recover it using your "back" button on your browser. The servers hiccuped for a few minutes around the time you had that problem, but everything's working again now.
Jason Neuswanger, Ph.D.
Troutnut and salmonid ecologist
MartinlfSeptember 20th, 2013, 8:55 pm
Moderator
Palmyra PA

Posts: 3233
Ave atque vale, Mark.
"He spread them a yard and a half. 'And every one that got away is this big.'"

--Fred Chappell
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