Brothers,

We learned this week that Brother Mark Laminman (Gamma Xi #14) passed away at age 70 in Welland, ON. Mark’s online obituary can be found on Considerate Cremation & Burial Services website. As per Mark’s wishes, there will be no visitation, funeral or celebration of life.

The following is Brother Bill Schmitt’s eulogy for his dear friend and Big Brother:

Here’s a bit of information on Mark’s Fraternal and business life. Mark Alan Laminman was the 14th Brother inducted into Gamma Xi Chapter in May of 1972. Mark was very active at the Chapter level holding multiple offices and was Convention Delegate in 1974. By 1977, Gamma Xi was dormant. Leading up to the Centennial celebrations in 1979, Mark and other Gamma Xi alumni found an interested group of HS aged men and restarted the chapter in July of 1979.

I pledged for Gamma Xi Chapter in the spring of 1980 and was inducted on Friday, June 13, 1980 (Friday the 13th). The Chapter was fortunate enough to have this threesome of older chapter Brothers in their mid-20s, Mark Laminman, Jim Lee (also Nirvana) and Mike Daley, that made sure we ran the chapter correctly. Mark was always big on community service back to those days. That’s probably what attracted him to pledge for Gamma Delta Psi.

Mark worked as a Pressman for the company that his father Jack managed, Pakfold Business Forms in Niagara Falls, ON. He left there and bought a print shop in Fort Erie called Industrial Printers. Industrial Printers printed letterhead, envelopes and expansion pamphlets for Gamma Delta Psi in the early 1990s. In his spare time he volunteered for Scouts Canada. He also became very active on the Board of Trustees of Gamma Delta Psi at this time.

After Industrial Printers closed Mark was fortunate enough to hire on full-time with Scouts Canada. He was lucky enough to get paid for something he loved, volunteering and community service. Scouts Canada took him from Southern Ontario to Winnipeg, MB and then to Nanaimo, BC on Vancouver Island. Mark continued to contribute to the Board of Trustees via phone and email. Scouts Canada downsized and he lost his Executive Director position for Vancouver Island so decided to move back to Ontario eventually landing back in Niagara Falls. He got back into the printing industry working as a Pressman for Factor Forms Niagara.

In 2008 a revitalization of Gamma Delta Psi began. The Board of Trustees began communicating and meeting after a number of years hiatus. Planning started for 2 events in the south and north celebrating the Fraternity’s 130th anniversary. The Trustees tried to implement a plan to support new Crescent Clubs and re-activate Chapters. Mark was critical in that preparation. The Trustees edited the Constitution, created new documents and worked out a business plan. Mark worked on “The Dedication” that was front and centre on our Pledge Manuals and he rewrote and renamed it Gamma Delta Psi’s “Mission Statement”.

In February of 2010, Mark, now Chairman of the Board of Trustees, was there to induct the 4 Brothers that reactivated Beta Alpha Chapter (Hopewell HS), our only active chapter since the mid-1990s. Mark continued his work on the Board of Trustees until he retired in the mid 2010s. During an East Coast Birthday (May 11) week celebration trip, Mark was able to attend 2nd Saturday Breakfast in Colonial Heights, VA on May 12, 2019. There he reacquainted with some old friends and met some new friends. This would be Mark’s last trip to VA.

I’d like to now speak about my personal relationship with my big Brother. When I pledged, Mark made sure I learned my Greek Alphabet, learned the history of Gamma Delta Psi and that I attend fundraising and community service activities Gamma Xi Chapter was involved in. As a young Brother he made sure we were the best Chapter Brothers we could be by working as a team and being good citizens.

That team work continued with Mark after my active days into our time serving on the Board of Trustees. Mark was a consummate professional and driven to make Gamma Delta Psi the best community service organization for young men.

Mark and I didn’t always agree on everything. He had his opinions! Leading up to the 2023 pilgrimage to New Haven Mark was very vocal about the trip. “We should be looking forward and not back” he told me. As a Fraternity history buff I disagreed. Afterwards, I thought he’d disowned me only to hear him tell me that “Brothers will disagree but I still love you”. I’m glad he was the adult in the room!

Mark and I would occasionally get together when I was back home in Niagara visiting family. As the years went on those visits became less frequent. I last saw Mark in March 2025. Since then, I tried a few more times to catch up with him without success.

Mark was always a mentor to me, from a pledge in early 1980, when we first met until the day he died. Mark cared about people, his community and the organizations he worked and volunteered for.

I am a better person because of Mark Alan Laminman and Gamma Delta Psi is a better organization because of him.

Rest in Peace Big Brother!

Bill Schmitt
Gamma Xi #88