Mark Aloysius LaVelle, 90, died peacefully on Saturday, December 20, 2025, at his home in Sioux City. A Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10 a.m. Monday, December 29, at the Cathedral of the Epiphany, 1000 Douglas Street, Sioux City, the Very Rev. J. David Esquiliano officiating, with visitation one hour prior. Burial will immediately follow at Memorial Park Cemetery, 6502 Morningside Avenue. Pallbearers will be Adam Chilton, Jared Jones, John LaVelle, Larry Stokes, Andy Wheelen, and Perry Willer. A remembrance luncheon will follow the burial, starting at 1 p.m. at the Marriott Riverfront in South Sioux City, Nebraska.

Mark was born in Sioux City on December 6, 1935, the son of Aloysius (“Bud”) LaVelle and Edith Coffey LaVelle. He and his twin sister Mary were the second and third children of the family, born after their older brother Patrick and before their younger siblings Anne, Michael, and Dennis. Mark attended Blessed Sacrament Grade School and Heelan High School in Sioux City. While in school he was an amateur boxer and competed in the Golden Gloves of America boxing program.

Mark married the love of his life, Adele Irene Trudell, at the Cathedral of the Epiphany on December 29, 1956. He was a diligent, hard-working provider for his family, and during the three decades he and Adele were raising their six children Mark worked as a delivery truck driver for Braungers Meats and Produce and for Western Paper and Supply Company. For many years Mark also prepared and served his famous Friday night fish fry dinners at Rightmire’s Tap, an establishment in Leeds that for a short time operated under the name LaVelle’s. His breaded halibut and fried shrimp dinners, served with heaping portions of coleslaw and Adele’s mouthwatering, secret-recipe au gratin potatoes, attracted many loyal customers, with lines often extending out the door and around the block.

A favorite pastime of Mark’s was growing rows of no-till tomatoes in his backyard and then, with Adele’s help, harvesting and canning them to give to family and friends, a hobby featured in a full-page story in the Sioux City Journal. His favorite vacation spot was Lake Okoboji, Iowa, where he and his wife and children spent many fun-filled summers. He cherished and adored Adele, and during the three years she was in hospice care at Touchstone Living Center prior to her death from cancer in 2012 Mark visited and stayed with her in her room every single day, without fail.

Mark is survived by his sons John LaVelle (Monte Carden) of Albuquerque, N.M., and David LaVelle of Melbourne, Australia; his daughters Mary Ann (Perry) Willer of Panama City, Fla., Linda (Gary) Dubbe of Sioux City, Teresa LaVelle of Sioux City, and Michelle (Jared) Jones of Panama City, Fla.; his grandchildren Amy (Adam) Chilton of Beresford, S.D., Corey (Rachael) Willer of Chesterfield, Va., Jessica (George) Tamayo of Nevada City, Calif., Dylan Gilbert of Panama City, Fla., and Ashley (Andy) Wheelen of Sioux City; nine great-grandchildren; his sisters Mary Egan of Los Angeles, Calif., and Anne (James) Montagne of Omaha, Neb.; his brother Michael (Mary Ellan) LaVelle of Cape Girardeau, Mo.; and nine nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his wife; his parents; his brothers Patrick LaVelle and Dennis LaVelle; his grandson Grant Gilbert; his son-in-law Eddie Rael; and his daughter-in-law Wendy LaVelle.

"My love Adele, oh how I miss you more and more with each passing day. If only I could have you in my arms once again. I pray the good Lord will let me be with you in the afterlife. Only then will I know I'm in heaven."

~ Mark's statement written in May 2013, one year after Adele's death, and shared on Facebook by their son John