Mark Evenson -- Father, Husband, Treasure Hunter
Mark, Nicole, and Kaitlynn. Photo courtesy of Sajous PhotographyThe Cooler Crew lost another treasure hunter yesterday morning. Mark Evenson, husband of Mystical_Muzik (AKA Nicole), passed away suddenly, and unexpectedly the morning of January 4, 2010 at St. John's Hospital in Maplewood. Mark had no known health issues.
A fund has been set up with Wells Fargo to help the family cover their expenses during this tragic event. Donations can be made at any Wells Fargo bank branch to the Mark Evenson Memorial Fund.
There will be a visitation from 4-8pm on Thursday, January 7 at Gustavus Adolphus Lutheran Church, 1669 N. Arcade St. in St. Paul. The funeral will be held at Gustavus Adolphus at 10am Friday morning, January 8.
Stay tuned here and in The Situation Room at the Cooler Crew Discussion Boards for more information and how you can help. On top of this, Nicole's father (see below) is still in the Intensive Care Unit at Regions Hospital after being shot during a robbery.
Mark was preceded in death by his parents and son Charles, and is survived by his wife, Nicole, their daughter, Kaitlynn, and many family and friends. Mark was 28.
During the 1990’s, the St Paul Pioneer Press opened online discussion forums. These forums were called Water Coolers. The forums had discussion topics related to sports, politics, news, and current events. Each year, the Pioneer Planet – the online section of the Pioneer Press – opened a discussion forum as a media for hunters to discuss the clues for the Winter Carnival Medallion Hunt.
During the earlier years, one might find a few hundred posts during the hunt. As more hunters had computers, those numbers jumped. From 1997 to 1998, the number of posts increased from the hundreds to the 5-digit thousands. It was during the 1998 hunt the Cooler Crew was born.
The community spirit and teamwork displayed in the Pioneer Press Medallion Hunt thread was inspiring. The group of hunters found themselves at the end of a hunt not wanting to let go of new friendships and the camaraderie found on the Water Cooler board. The idea emerged to do what anyone would do in the middle of winter in Minnesota. A picnic in Cherokee was planned - the first Rehash Bash!
