Obituary of Mark Soifer

Mark Soifer, 89, passed away on June 6, 2021. A Vineland resident for 63 years, he commuted daily for over 45 years to Ocean City for his work as Director of Public Relations. He received many accolades and awards for his dedication in all facets of the community. In particular, he was honored to have a city park named after him. Known for his easy going personality and whimsical sense of humor, he originated & conducted many popular special events in Ocean City that attracted crowds to "America's Greatest Family Resort." He created characters such as Martin Z and Mollie Mollusk, Ocean City's mascots. Also his idea was to promote anti littering & recycling by dressing up in a super-hero costume & trash can, naming himself, "Trash Buster" and making appearances in parades and going to schools to talk about saving the environment. Mark's serious side led him to become a past president of the NJ Travel & Resort Association where he used his talents in helping promote the entire shore area for vacationers. Although Mark worked tirelessly at his job, he also spent time on his passion of writing poetry & short stories, many having been published. Mark was born on May 2, 1932 in Chester, PA to the late Abram Louis Soifer and Irene (Goodman) Soifer. An identical twin, his brother, Jesse, passed away in 2017. They were known as "Nip & Tuck." They were both talented in sports & the arts. Mark was extremely proud of Jesse's achievements as a well known Philadelphia artist and professor at Cumberland County College Vineland. A graduate of Temple University School of Journalism, Mark attended on a baseball scholarship and was an outfielder on the team. He continued playing into adulthood on Vineland's "Over the Hill League". Always into physical fitness, he would be seen running in Vineland and Ocean City. He served in the US Army from 1954-1956 where he was stationed in Texas and then Germany for over 15 months. He was a medic and then writer and editor of publications. Returning from the Army, Mark married his fiancee, Toby (Barenfus) and they lived in Phila. He taught English at South Phila High School for a while and then went into the advertising and Public Relations field, eventually owning the Mark Forrest Agency. Mark and Toby were married for 64 years, together they had four children Rebecca Agronsky (Joshua), David Soifer (Donna Putkovich), Jessica Albertson (Christopher) and Rachel Soifer (Hanan Edery); nine grandchildren, John and Talia Burkhart, Jacob Agronsky, Ian and Joie Soifer, Julia Albertson and Rena, Sarah and Joseph Edery; six great- grandchildren, with one on the way, Benjamin Burkhart, Anelie Colon, Avia Ruiz, Edwin Colon III, Daria and Delilah Agronsky; his cousins, Daniel, Susan & Nora North, Steven, Jasmine & Dylan North. Among Mark's many qualities was his love of animals and he took great pleasure in the family's pet dog, Sunny, and previously, Sweetie. Mark was a member of Temple Beth Hillel- Beth Abraham Congregation. Services will be private ARRANGEMENTS are under the supervision of Rone Funeral Service, 1110 East Chestnut Avenue, Vineland, NJ 08360 Donations in memory of Mark may be made to: Charity of Ones Choice or Health Redeemer Hospice, 160 E Ninth Avenue, Suite B, P. O. Box 250, Runnemede, NJ 08078 To send online condolences please visit our website at www.RONEFUNERALSERVICE.com