Obituary of Mark Francis Mooney

 Mark Francis Mooney died after a brief illness on Feb 3, 2019 surrounded by his loving family. He was born on September 20, 1958 and raised in Woburn and Burlington.

Mark was a unique, generous, and loving man who always put his family first. There was nothing he would not do for the people he loved whether providing invaluable advice on big decisions, or helping during difficult situations. Mark was the manager of his family catering business which he ran alongside his brother and mother. He had the respect of many clients and was very invested in the success of the family business, as evidenced by his incredible work ethic and his vision for the company.

Mark was a deep thinker in many respects and loved reading, discussing history and politics. His encyclopedic knowledge of various subjects knew no bounds. Mark was very bold and spoke honestly about his opinions, yet he was sensitive, selfless and steadfast in his convictions. After briefly attending Boston University, Mark worked in the local high-tech industry before moving to Florida for a year.  He returned to Massachusetts to work along with his mom Ellie and the entire family on transforming  the Baldwin Landing Historic site into a fine dining establishment in the 1980’s. 

Mark loved playing golf and thought deeply about the science and psychology of the sport.  He became an excellent teacher later as he had an uncanny ability to make small suggestions that made a big impact.  He loved playing golf alongside his father, brothers and nephews.

Working in the catering business for 40 years, Mark had a genuine love of food and dining out at many different establishments with the people he loved. Mark also was an avid music lover and enjoyed attending concerts with family and friends. Being the eldest child of his generation in the family and because of his uniqueness, Mark leaves an indelible void that no one will be able to fill. Mark was loved and admired and will truly be missed.

Mark is predeceased by his mother Eleanor (Ellie) Olson Mooney, his sister Marybeth Mooney, and his father-in-law Jean-Pierre Anselme.  He is survived by his loving wife Vanessa Anselme Mooney. Mark and Vanessa recently had a beautiful and special wedding celebrating along with loving friends and family. The reason their marriage was so unique and such a joyous celebration is that they both had surmounted many struggles in life and found their love for each other later in life. One could see how much love and appreciation they had for each other which they never took for granted.

Mark is survived by his father John T. Mooney Sr. of Burlington; his siblings John T. Mooney Jr and his wife Jean Mooney of Burlington; Beth Mooney Downer and her husband Keith Downer of Billerica; Matthew Mooney and his wife Laurel Mooney of Westford; his mother-in-law Marie-Celine Anselme; his sisters-in law Fabienne Madsen and her husband Carl Madsen of Needham and Veronika Testa and her husband Gregory Testa of Medfield.

Mark was a loving uncle to Erin Mooney Fillmore and her husband Joshua Fillmore of Burlington; Dawn Mooney of Burlington; Jill Mooney Amodeo and her husband Matthew Amodeo of Salem; John T. Mooney III and his girlfriend Brittany Gray of Burlington; Cory Mooney and his girlfriend Maura Gildea of Burlington; Ryan Downer and his wife Christina Downer of Billerica; Elana Downer Wells and her husband Kevin Wells of Dunstable; Rhiannon Downer of Billerica; Luke Mooney and his fiancé Stephanie Ku of Sudbury; Jacob Mooney of California; Alicia Mooney of Westford; Peter Madsen and John Madsen of Needham; and Matthew Testa and Julianne Testa of Medfield.

Mark was a loving great uncle to Gwen and Brady Fillmore of Burlington; Dylan Thomas Mooney of Burlington; Kailey, Mia, Ryleigh, and Madalynn Amodeo of Salem; Ryan and Jake Wells of Dunstable.

A celebration of Mark’s life will be held at the Edward V Sullivan Funeral Home, 43 Winn St., BURLINGTON (Exit 34 off Rt. 128/95 Woburn side) on Friday, Feb. 8 from 4-8 p.m.  In lieu of flowers memorials in Mark’s name may be made to www.kiva.org  For directions, obituary & online guestbook see www.sullivanfuneralhome.net