Obituary of Mark David Goldstein

Mark David Goldstein, 77, of Denver, Colorado, passed away Thursday, July 31. Mark was born September 24, 1947, in Baltimore, Maryland, to Jean (née Turk) and Sol Goldstein. He was married for 51 years to his cherished wife, Linda (née Mouque) Goldstein, and father to Jenna Gold of Denver, Colorado, and his Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Vanessa.

Mark grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, and attended Woodlawn High School (Class of 1965). He was a lifelong Baltimore Colts and Ravens fan who never stopped loving Baltimore crabs and Old Bay seasoning, which he put on anything.

He received a BSJ (‘69) and MSA (‘70) in Advertising from the prestigious Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, where he was later inducted into the introductory class in their Alumni Hall of Fame. He was also a member of the Phi Epsilon Pi fraternity. After college, he stayed in Chicago and met Linda while working at Leo Burnett advertising agency. From Chicago, they lived in Bethesda, Maryland; Edina, Minnesota; New York City, and Naples, Florida, before moving to Denver in 2024 to be closer to their daughter.

Mark had a long and successful career in advertising, where he started as an award-winning Copywriter and Creative Director, before finding footing as the first person to hold the title of agency Chief Marketing Officer. He was called the “New Business Guru” by the Wall Street Journal. He overcame a stutter as a child to become a highly regarded speaker and presenter. Along with Leo Burnett, he spent time at agencies including Earle Palmer Brown, Fallon, and BBDO Worldwide, before moving to Naples full time and starting his consultancy, Eleven, LLC.

Mark loved mentoring young people in advertising and helping them find their path in the business. He took pride in taking people under his wing and helping them grow. He had a real passion for the business and making impactful work. Throughout his career, he worked with clients such as BMW, Bank of America, Motorola, Citi, Nordstrom, and United Airlines. He was known for always having a jar of Chiclets on his desk, so people had a reason to come to his office and chat, and playing loud music in his office. He always seemed to have a Diet Coke Big Gulp within arms reach.

He loved spending time with his family and traveling, especially to great European cities and learning about the history of places he traveled to. He truly believed that vacations make the biggest memories. He was an avid reader, loved rock’n’roll music, contemporary art, as well as the lost art of going to the movies and the theater. He loved experiencing art in all forms.

He will be remembered by his family and friends for his incredible sense of humor, warmth, friendship, kindness, and his sometimes eccentric and unique sensibilities.

Along with his wife and daughter, he is survived by brothers Robert (Vivian) Goldstein of Crownsville, Maryland, and Don (Ariela) Goldstein of Dallas, Texas, and their families.

A Celebration of Life in memory of Mark will be held Sunday, September 14, from 2 pm to 5 pm at the Hotel Clio, in Denver. A Livestream of the service will be available via Feldman Mortuary's YouTube Channel at about 2:45/3:00pm, when the formal service begins.

Donations in Mark’s memory can be sent to the New York Presbyterian Cardiology Fund, which gave us 
17 bonus years with Mark; Mark’s alma mater, Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism; 
or the Poynter Foundation, an organization that supports journalism and its role in strengthening democracy.
 

Please consider sharing your memories and condolences with Mark's family on his guestbook above.