CONCORD, NH – Mark Ciborowski, 70, passed away on June 22 with his beloved wife, Diane Chadwick Ciborowski by his side. Mark waged an arduous battle with cancer for over four years. His original diagnosis was a life expectancy of 12 to 24 months and true to Mark’s competitive nature his response was “screw that”. Mark proceeded to battle the disease with strength and determination, all the while working daily and enjoying gatherings and trips with Diane and his dear friends. A few weeks after starting chemotherapy treatment at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, the nurses in the infusion room began calling Mark “the Governor” because he knew all the nurses’ names and many of the patients. Mark had a natural gift for making connections and friends everywhere he went, including with his caregivers with whom he socialized.
Mark loved Concord. He took such pride in his downtown buildings and the renovations he accomplished to make Main Street a more vibrant place to work and live. Mark loved his community. With boundless energy, he participated and volunteered for numerous organizations, boards and committees. In a recent NHPR story Mark stated, “for my whole life, I’ve been trying to change the face of Concord. I’m trying to beautify Concord forever.”
Mark was born in Worcester, MA and was the son of Henry and Elaine Ciborowski. Mark graduated from Doherty High School and attended U of Maine before coming to Concord to work alongside his grandfather, Jacob Ciborowski. Together they invested in and improved their properties on Main Street. After Jacob’s passing, Mark took the reins and continued renovating each building, taking great pride in his work and insisting on top-quality workmanship. Mark’s biggest regret was not to be able to restore his beloved Phenix Hall to a vibrant community gathering space before his passing.
Besides his love for Concord, Mark had several other passions. He was an accomplished paddler and almost competitor in the Closed Canoe event at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. (His team placed fourth and only the top three teams attended.) Mark loved to travel and his journeys took him to Alaska, many islands in the Caribbean, Italy, Costa Rica, Poland and Peru where he climbed Huascaran at over 22,000 feet. Mark inspired his nephew to summit many of these same South American peaks. Mark was passionate about listening to local live music. He and Diane spent many enjoyable evenings following their favorite local musicians around the state.
Mark is survived by his wife, Diane, her son Marcus DeLand, his sisters Kim Ciborowski of North Hampton, NH and Gail Ferreira of Jackson, NH, and her son, Glenn Ferreira of Malvern, PA. Mark also leaves a very special, close group of friends whom he nicknamed “the Swarm” during COVID and the name stuck. Mark has also left a lifetime of friends and colleagues. Mark touched many lives and his absence will be keenly felt by all who knew him.
A celebration of life will be held on September 12 at 4:00 p.m. at The Capitol Center for the Arts.
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