Mark Jerome Choppa “Papa Choppa”, passed away July 3, 2017 in Greenfield, WI at age 62. He was born May 18, 1955 in Youngstown, OH, the son of the late Anthony “Bummy” Sr. and Donna Mae (Molloy) Choppa.
Mark is survived by his wife, Cathy; son, Marcus (Holly) of Rockford, IL;daughters, Brooklyn (fiancee Darrell Reid) of Brooklyn, NY, and Madison of Madison, WI; grandchildren, Riley and Harrison; Aunt Ellen Molloy; brother, Anthony Jr. (Cloie) Choppa of Kirkland, WA; sisters, Martha “Jeannie” (Paul) Causgrove, Mary (Tim) Walker and Margaret (Leo) Donato of Hubbard, OH; Mother in law, Mary Ann Mulcahey of Rockford, IL; sisters in law, Mary Ellen (Rich) Albano of Rockford, IL and Kelly (Dave) Chesak of Rockford, IL; and brother in law Dan (Darrin) Mulcahey of Long Beach, CA; nephews and nieces Amy (Nelson) Batista of Westport, MA, Brad (Sarah) Mulcahey of Chicago, IL, Anthony (Casey) Choppa of Bothell, WA, Adam Paul (Chelsea) Causgrove of Pittsburgh, PA, Lindsey Whicker, San Diego, CA, Kelly Albano (Jacob Hutmacher) of Rockford, IL, Dominick (Rebecca) Albano of Florence, KY, Marty (Michaela) Shales of Hubbard, OH, Brandon Whicker, Beloit, IL, Nick (Ali) Choppa of Seattle, WA. Sean Causgrove of Erie, PA, Michael Albano of Rockford, IL, and Caroline, Anna and Emily Petgrave of Seattle, WA and great nieces and nephews Collin, Lauren, Emma, Jack, Paige, Anthony, Dominic, Tripp, Emerson, Walker Lee Anthony, Paxton, Elijah, Holden, Parker, Scarlett and Ezra. He is preceded in death by his father in law, William Mulcahey and nephew Lee Anthony.
Mark was a graduate of St. Patrick Elementary, Hubbard High School and Mount Union College. He was an athlete and lover of sports. Mark was inducted into the Mount Union Hall of Fame in 1999. His bio reads, “Mark Choppa was a two-time First-Team All-OAC performer as a member of the Mount Union football program. He was the College’s first 1,000 yard rusher (in a season) and has a career total of 2,312 yards rushing.” Mark loved animals and horses, especially Flash, his 25-year-old paint horse.
He was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, uncle and friend. His pride and joy was found in his family – he was the ultimate family man and the best Papa Choppa to his grandchildren and kids.
A gathering will be held Monday, July 10, 2017 from 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM, at Krause Funeral Home, 12401 West National Avenue, New Berlin, WI. A Celebration of Life to follow at 4:00 PM.
In lieu of flowers, friends wishing may make donations in Mark’s memory to the Lupus foundation at www.lupus.org or the Polo Club of the University of Wisconsin www.poloclubuw.weebly.com.