Mark and I went to school ,in Moorhead and were in the Class of 1968. We kept in touch over the decades after I moved to MT. I recall the fun times we had on Pelican lake. and his jokes and more jokes
Mark McGrew
March 17, 1950 ~ May 18, 2025
Born in:
Stillwater, Minnesota
Resided in:
Hawley, Minnesota
Mark “Macy” McGrew, a resident of Hawley, Minnesota, passed away peacefully at his home on Lake Fifteen on May 18, 2025, surrounded by family, after living with cancer for two years.
Mark was born in 1950 to Betty (Clements) Kienenberger and Mac McGrew in Stillwater, MN. His father worked for the Northern Pacific Railway which brought the family to live briefly in several communities (Spokane, WA, Brainerd, MN, and Fargo, ND) before settling in Moorhead, MN.
As a child, Mark spent many summer childhood days at the family cabin on Gosslee Beach on Pelican Lake, and took full advantage of his father’s complimentary fares on NP’s North Coast Limited and Mainstreeter. He graduated from Moorhead High School in 1968. His high school friend group, coined by Mark as “The Boys Club,” were the bane of the high school Principal’s existence, and they made many memories and mischief together including an epic ski trip to Vail, Colorado.
In 1971, he met the love of his life, Lana Crowley, who worked at Ardyce’s Coffee Bar next door to the Honda shop in Moorhead. They dated for 16 years before marrying at Lake Fifteen, near Rollag on August 21, 1987. They welcomed their first son, Spencer, in 1989, followed by Macintosh in 1991. The family settled down in a beautiful self constructed cabin overlooking Lake Fifteen—the original plans drawn up on a piece of cardboard. Mark and Lana enjoyed many memorable adventures, including canoe trips to the Boundary Waters, cross-country motorcycle trips on Honda Gold Wings, several trips to Europe, and three total solar eclipses in Manitoba (1979), Wyoming (2017), and Illinois (2024).
His lifelong passion for motorcycles was cemented after watching Easy Rider (1969) with his dad. Inspired, he went on to build homemade choppers with his best friends Rolf Christiansen and John Schneider. He turned his passion into a career, serving for 10 years as a Service Representative for the Motorcycle Division of American Honda. His territory included all of North and South Dakota, eastern Montana, and the Big Horn Basin in north-central Wyoming. His love of motorcycles reached its apex in the late 1990s when he built a replica 1970 Honda CR750 “Dick Mann” road racing motorcycle. Mark, the “Race Boss” AKA “King of Speed”, assembled a team of old friends, neighbors, and enthusiasts to race all across the US and the world, including vintage races at Daytona, Road America, Silverstone, Stockholm Sweden, and the TT Circuit in Assen, Holland. A number of Mark’s race-winning motorcycles have been put on display in museums. Racing transitioned from asphalt to dirt and he supported his son Macintosh’s career in AMA Pro Flat Track on a Honda RS750.
When he wasn’t working in his shop or racing, Mark was a stay-at-home dad to his two sons, while Lana worked as a medical doctor in Fargo. Known by many as “Mr. Mom,” Mark was a regular caller into Boyd Christenson’s News and Views, and he was featured in a 1997 series in the Fargo Forum about stay-at-home dads. Mark instilled many of his own passions in Spencer and Mac, taking them to the Western Minnesota Steam Threshers Reunion at Rollag, MN, teaching them about mechanics, and so much more.
Mark cherished six wonderful years as “Grandpère” to Ashton McGrew. They were two peas in a pod, sharing a deep love of Legos, animals, and silly jokes. Together, they created a “secret garden” in the backyard, shared an ongoing inside joke about foxes, and enjoyed countless cuddles in Mark’s favorite living room chair.
Mark’s kind and patient presence will be missed by many. He was a bon vivant, and always the life of the party, perfecting his favorite recipes to feed his friends and family, making sure his son Spencer’s wedding had plenty of champagne, taking his family on pontoon cruises, and going out to his favorite restaurants. He loved listening to Bob Dylan, John Prine, Freddie Mercury, and Neil Diamond, watching old concerts on TV and relaxing to movies and shows with Lana.
Mark is survived by his wife “Tootsie” Lana Crowley; sons Spencer McGrew and Macintosh “Mac” McGrew; daughter-in-law Michele Anderson, grandson Ashton McGrew; sister Kris (Jim) Christisen and brother Kevin (Diane) McGrew, his German Shepherd Beauté Noire, and shop cat Gnocchi – who loyally cuddled with him in his last hours of life.
He is preceded in death by his father Mac McGrew and mother Betty (Clements) Kienenberger.
A Celebration of Life will take place on Monday, July 14, 2 – 5 pm, at Junkyard Brewing Company in Moorhead, Minnesota. Hawaiian and/or race attire is encouraged.
A motorcycle ride in tribute of Mark will take place immediately following the celebration.
Memorials can be made in Mark’s name to Homeward Animal Shelter: https://www.homewardonline.org/how-to-help/donate.html
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