Family, friends remember Judge Mark Mascara
Frank Mascara was admittedly a bit surprised when his son, Mark, first told him about his plan to run for Washington County judge.
"I was surprised first of all that he wanted to run," the former congressman and county commissioner recalled about his son, Mark, who died late Friday at age 54.
"Although he worked diligently on my campaign, I thought he never had an interest in public office."
But the tables turned in 2003, when the elder Mascara worked as campaign chairman for his son's judicial campaign.
Frank Mascara remembers the night his son was elected.
"I was elated that I had a son who was going to be a judge," he recalled. "Ever since he was a little kid, he wanted to be a lawyer. This was the highlight of his legal career. The pinnacle of his career was being elected a judge."
A 1974 graduate of Charleroi Area High School, Mark Mascara graduated with honors from Washington and Jefferson College in 1978 and from Duquesne University Law School in 1981.
He served as a judicial law clerk for then-Supreme Court Justice Rolf Larsen. He practiced law for 23 years and served as a staff attorney on the Pennsylvania Board of Claims for 15 years.
Jon Mascara said his brother always gave him guidance on being a good father, and earlier in his life, doing well in school.
"He always talked about family values," Jon Mascara said. "He taught me about being a good person and to treat everyone good. He told me about how to be a better person."
Among the many awards that Mark Mascara received recognizing his life of service was the 2009 Child Advocate of the Year, presented by the Washington Hospital Teen Outreach program.
Jon Mascara said his brother was always proud of working with children in his job as a judge. He said his brother felt one of the best things about his job was his impact on children and on keeping children safe.
"I told him his job was hard because he was dealing with children," Jon Mascara said. "But he told me he was making a difference in the community, in keeping kids safe."
Frank Mascara said it was a bit ironic - but altogether fitting - that his son, a good family man, would have the judicial task of presiding over juvenile matters.
"That was something that fit his persona," Frank Mascara said. "He was a wonderful father. It was sometime that all fit together.
"Anyone who knew him knew what a wonderful father he was for his children. He was never too busy to spend time with his children." Mark, who is survived by his wife Lisa, has four children, Kylie, Mariah, Jamison and Samuel.
Washington County Commissioner Bracken Burns said he got to know Mascara better in the past year.
"Mark was a good man," Burns said. "I think that goes without saying.
"I was impressed by his level of commitment to the job but also the children. You could sense the feelings he had for the children, that he impacted their lives with his judgments.
"It wasn't just a job; it was a passion for him."
Frank Mascara acknowledged the enormous part that faith played in his son's courageous battle with cancer.
When Mark Mascara was first diagnosed, he turned to prayer. He credited a widespread prayer chain with curing him last year.
That turnaround culminated when his doctor told Mascara last year that a PET Scan showed that his cancer was gone.
Receiving that news, Mark Mascara wrote on the tissue paper that covered the examination table: "Finally some good news! Never Doubt The Power Of Prayer." That jubilant note has hung on the wall of his East Washington home ever since.
Mark Mascara told The Valley Independent at Christmastime that he believed that God's plan for him was "to spread His word."
"And that's precisely what I'm doing. This is not a story about a judge. It's a story about God."
"It was miraculous when he was cured because it had spread to his liver," Frank Mascara said this morning. "We were amazed and so was the doctor. After the PET scan, it was completely gone.
"Mark's faith and Christian beliefs carried him through his whole bout with cancer. Later, it showed up in his spine. Mark, to the end, made a courageous fight. He had hoped that he'd be cured."
Visitation will be held 6 to 9 p.m. tonight and 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday in the Warco-Falvo Funeral Home Inc., Wilson at East Katherine avenues, Washington. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated 10 a.m. Wednesday in Immaculate Conception Church, Chestnut Street, Washington, Pa.
