A LIFE IN MOTION
Left: A glimpse of Mark’s treasured rowing memorabilia. Right: Through every season, Mark and Ellen prove that true love never fades.
His dedication carried him to Yale University, where he continued to row competitively and practiced on the Housatonic River. The physical and mental demands of the sport shaped his resilience. “Rowing is one of the most complete workouts there is,” his wife explains. It builds strength, endurance, and muscle memory.” Decades later, that same muscle memory remains, giving Mark a greater level of physical strength despite the challenges of a progressive neurological disease. After meeting at work in Pittsburgh, Mark and his wife married, started their careers, and eventually moved to Chicago in
Mark Sheppard’s love for rowing began in high school in Marietta, Ohio, a town nestled along the banks of the Ohio River. At the only high school in Ohio with a rowing program, his early exposure to the sport became a defining part of his identity. As a valedictorian and a dedicated student, he found in rowing something more than a sport; it became a source of purpose and belonging. “It changed his life,” Ellen shares. “He wasn’t just another student anymore. Rowing gave him discipline, purpose, and a team that felt like family.”
1981 for Mark to attend graduate school. Though they loved the city, family ties pulled them back east, settling in Pittsburgh, where they raised two boys and one girl. As empty nesters, they returned to rowing, this time together. “Mark joined a rowing club first, and I went to all the races and the regattas,” she recalls. “But his coach convinced me to try it, and I rowed for over a decade myself.” Their passion for the sport extended beyond competition. Pittsburgh is very hilly, with rivers close to their home, and when they weren’t rowing, they
20 PROVIDENCE MAGAZINE | Issue No. 1 • 2025
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