James Mark “Mark” Barton

July 10, 1960 – September 30, 2026

James Mark “Mark” Barton, 66, passed peacefully at home on September 30, 2026, surrounded by love.

If you knew Mark Barton, you knew three things were probably going to happen: he was going to tell you a dad joke, he was going to tell you that he loved and appreciated you, and before you left, somehow or another, he was going to make sure you knew Jesus loved you too.

Probably in that order.

And there is a very good chance Mark laughed harder at his joke than you did.

That was Mark.

He loved people—all people. There were no qualifications required. He had an extraordinary capacity to see the person standing in front of him and make them feel that they mattered. His humor opened doors, but his compassion invited people in.

Mark was born on July 10, 1960, in Pascagoula, Mississippi, to Dr. William Barton (Bill) and Juanita Tutt Barton. He was also blessed with a stepfather, Captain Arthur J. Hesford (Art) and two step-brothers, Arkie and John Hesford. His parents, stepfather, and a brother-in law precede him in death. He is survived by his brother, William “Harvey” Barton and step-brother, John Hesford.

And then there was Daniell.

Their story began in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1983, where Mark and Daniell had each come with plans to attend RHEMA Bible College.

They arrived there separately, each pursuing what they believed God had for their lives.

Instead, God introduced them to each other.

And apparently neither of them believed in wasting time.

They had known each other for exactly nine days when Mark proposed on August 23.

Nine days.

For anyone currently questioning the wisdom of that decision, the nearly 43 years that followed probably settled the matter.

On October 13, 1983, Mark married Daniell Webb, beginning a marriage, ministry partnership, friendship, and adventure that would carry them through almost 43 years of life together.

What began in Tulsa with two young people seeking God’s direction became a lifetime of seeking Him together. Their story would take them through raising children, building businesses, changing careers, ministry, missions, countless moves and assignments, tremendous joy, difficult seasons, plenty of laughter, and a lifetime of following wherever they believed the Holy Spirit was leading.

What began with nine days of knowing one another became nearly 43 years of choosing one another.

Together they became parents to two sons, James “Joshua” Barton and William “Miles” Barton.

Mark’s love for his family ran deep, and becoming a grandfather gave him two more people to absolutely adore: James Henry Barton and Amelia Paige Barton.

But Mark never believed blood was what made someone family.

Edgar and Audrianna were his grandchildren too—not because anyone told him they should be, but because that was simply how Mark loved. He didn’t measure relationships by biology. If you belonged to someone he loved, there was a pretty good chance Mark had already decided you belonged to him too.

Mark’s family extended far beyond the names that can reasonably be placed on a page. He leaves behind sister-in laws, brother-in laws, nieces, nephews, cousins, extended family on both sides, and a lifetime of friends who became family along the way.

Mark had a way of making the circle bigger rather than drawing lines around who belonged in it. If he loved you, you knew it—and chances are, he told you so.

The story of Mark and Daniell was never simply about where they lived or what they did for a living. Their journey together was one they believed was directed by the Holy Spirit. Through every season, every move, every career change, every ministry assignment, every open door—and even the roads they didn’t completely understand—they sought the Lord together.

Mark worked hard.

Wanting to provide a better life for his family, he worked multiple jobs and long hours while pursuing the education that would eventually earn him his Doctor of Chiropractic degree.

Becoming a chiropractor wasn’t simply another professional accomplishment for Mark. It gave him another way to serve people, including using his skills on mission trips to care for those in need.

And when Daniell’s career led into real estate, Mark did what he had done throughout their marriage: he came alongside her.

He obtained his real estate license, and together they built a ministry-centered real estate brokerage in the Atlanta, Georgia area, where they settled and raised their family.

For Mark, there was never a very clear dividing line between “work” and “ministry.”

Wherever there were people, there was an opportunity to serve them.

Approximately twenty years later, another call came.

Mark and Daniell left the familiar and stepped together into full-time ministry, serving as pastors and missionaries.

Throughout his life, Mark operated in all five folds of ministry, but anyone who truly knew him knew where his heart lived.

Mark was a pastor.

It wasn’t merely a title he held.

It was who he was.

He cared about people. He listened. He encouraged. He prayed. He taught. He loved people through difficult places. And perhaps most importantly, he wanted people to know Jesus—not simply know about Him, but truly know Him.

Mark made certain people knew they were loved and appreciated. He said it freely and often because he understood that sometimes people simply need to hear the words.

And then, usually, he told another bad joke.

The final four years of Mark’s earthly journey brought him and Daniell back to Mississippi—the state where his story had begun.

Although his body became increasingly sick, his heart for others never did.

During that season, Mark cared for his mother as much as his health would allow, faithfully loving and caring for her until her death just five months before his own.

And then, during the final eleven days of Mark’s life, something extraordinary happened.

People came.

And they kept coming.

Around 100 people made their way through the doors of Mark and Daniell’s home, some traveling from across the country simply to be with him.

People from different chapters of his life suddenly found themselves together under one roof—family, lifelong friends, ministry relationships, and people whose lives had intersected with Mark somewhere along the way.

There were prayers.

There were tears.

There was laughter.

There were stories.

There was music.

There were embraces, conversations, reunions, and moments that could never have been planned.

And, because it was Mark’s house, there were probably a few bad jokes.

What might have been expected to become a house filled only with sorrow instead became something altogether different.

It became a house overflowing with love.

People didn’t simply come to say goodbye. They came to pray. They came to worship. They came to love. Relationships were renewed. People reconnected. Hearts were touched. And the presence of the Lord that Mark and Daniell had sought throughout their nearly 43 years together filled the home in a way that will never be forgotten.

In many ways, those 17 days became a living testimony of Mark’s life.

For decades, Mark had poured love into people.

And in his final days, that love came walking back through his front door.

One person at a time.

One hundred reminders that a life spent loving people leaves behind something death cannot take away.

After spending a lifetime making sure other people knew they were loved and appreciated, Mark spent his final days surrounded by people making sure he knew just how deeply loved and appreciated he was.

Perhaps it was God’s beautiful way of allowing Mark, before going Home, to see some of the harvest of the love he had spent a lifetime sowing.

Mark’s life cannot be measured by one profession, one ministry assignment, one church, one business, or one title.

He was a husband.

A father.

A grandfather.

A brother.

A chiropractor.

A REALTOR®.

A missionary.

A pastor.

A friend.

A servant of Jesus.

And, without question, one of the world’s most committed tellers of dad jokes.

But perhaps the simplest way to describe Mark Barton is this:

He loved God, and he loved people.

He spent his life trying to make certain the people God placed in his path knew that they mattered, that they were loved, that they were appreciated, and that there was a Savior who loved them even more.

Mark’s body eventually became tired and unable to continue the journey his heart would have gladly kept making.

But for a man who spent his life pointing people toward Jesus, there is something beautifully fitting about knowing where his journey ultimately led.

Home.

And those who loved Mark can almost imagine the moment he had spent a lifetime preparing for—the moment his faith became sight and he stood before the Lord he had served for so many years.

“Well done, good and faithful servant.”

And knowing Mark, somewhere shortly thereafter, Heaven probably heard a dad joke.

A Celebration of Life honoring Mark will be held 6:00 pm on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, at Northwood Church, 3900 Bienville Boulevard, Ocean Springs, Mississippi 39564, with visitation beginning at 5:00 pm in the church sanctuary.

In keeping with Mark’s lifelong heart for seeing lives changed and people restored, the family asks that, in lieu of flowers, memorial gifts be made to Home of Grace. It is a beautiful way to honor Mark’s legacy by continuing to invest in the lives of others.

Serving as pallbearers will be John Noufer, Greg Cooper, John Coroy, Terry Turgeau, Curt Minor, and Ralph Hayman.

Honorary pallbearers will be Wes Webb, Mac McGilvary, Bob Bennett, Brad DePriest, and Randy Templeton.

Riemann Family Funeral Home, 13872 Lemoyne Blvd., West Jackson County, is honored to serve the family. An online guestbook may be signed and memories shared at www.riemannfamily.com .