Mark Donald Sweetman

Mark Donald Sweetman passed away on Monday, October 27th, 2025.  A Celebration Of His Life will be held Sunday, November 9th, 2025 at 2pm in the USC Sumter Nettles Auditorium at 200 Miller Road in Sumter, SC.

Mark Donald Sweetman was born at Fort Polk, Louisiana on March 25, 1956. He was the 5th child of the late Msgt. Joseph David Sweetman (US Army retired) and the late Alice Evans Timmerman Sweetman. Preceding him in death were 3 of his siblings: Joseph David Sweetman, Jr., Martha Evelyn (Patty) Peck, and Maureen (Mo) Alice Luke, Mark is survived by his wife Karen Sonya Harris-Sweetman. His surviving siblings are David's widow, Donna, of Nevada; Patty's widow, Kenny of Florida; Maureen's widow, Charlie of Tennessee; Robert Watson Sweetman (Joyce); and Karen Elizabeth Traxler (David) of South Carolina. Mark is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews. Mark attended five schools in his first five years of schooling but upon his father's retirement in 1965 from the US Army settled in Darlington where he graduated from St. Johns' High in 1974. He received his B.A. in Education (History) from the University of South Carolina in 1977 and began his teaching career. He earned a M.Ed. in Guidance from the University of South Carolina in 1981 and an Ed. S. in Educational Administration from Winthrop University in 1992. Mark spent twenty-one years in public education before inclusion body myopathy with early onset Paget disease and frontotemporal dementia (IBMPFD VCP) a very rare valosin-containing protein neuromuscular disease, forced his retirement. He served as a classroom teacher, a guidance counselor and finally as an assistant principal. During his lifetime he volunteered as a police officer, a swimming instructor, a fire fighter as well as working with numerous civic organizations including the Lions Club, Rotary and the Red Cross. He served as a high school basketball official for ten years. He spent over twenty years as a member of Phi Delta Kappa and was the first president of the Mid-Carolina Chapter. In lieu of flowers, Mark requests that memorials be sent to USC Sumter, Cure VCP, American Red Cross local disaster fund, Muscular Dystrophy Association, or Riverbanks Zoo.