Mark Hilbourn Herrington

Mark Hilborn Herrington, 92, of Madison, Alabama, passed from this fallen earth into the presence of his Savior on October 26, 2024. He was a beloved father, lasting friend, thoughtful neighbor, and valued co-worker. His life was marked by generosity, hard work, determination, integrity, and selflessness.

Mark was born on January 12, 1932, to Buford Hilborn Herrington and Carrie Mae Ledwidge Herrington in Moselle, MS. As a child of the Great Depression, he grew up quickly, doing a man’s work by the time he was 10 or 11. According to his sister Carolyn, Mark asked their father for a motor for his 10 th birthday. Mark took the motor apart and put it back together again before using it to create a motorized wagon. At 16, Mark became the school bus driver for the local school. He graduated high school in 1949 at the age of 17 and enlisted in the U.S. Navy. The Navy, recognizing his problem-solving abilities, sent Mark to engine engineering school and then to Guam. Mark promptly developed a reputation as a keen troubleshooter after quickly fixing a problem that had long plagued the diesel engine of the Admiral’s barge. He remained on Guam for much of his service, leaving only to help man a newly refurbished ship during its shakedown voyage from Astoria, Oregon, to San Diego and Japan.

After his discharge in 1953, Mark returned home and attended Jones County Junior College. Before finishing his studies, he was recruited by Firestone Tires in Hattiesburg. In Hattiesburg, Mark met a young nurse, Mary Edna Goddard, whom he soon married. In subsequent years, they had two children, Mary Carolynne “Lynne” Herrington (Johnson), and Mark Bruce Herrington.

Mark was quickly promoted by Firestone, becoming a credit manager. He developed an accounting and inventory system that was implemented throughout Firestone’s stores. His work required long hours on the road as well as many relocations. Mark served Firestone’s regional offices in New Orleans, San Antonio, Kansas City, and Memphis before resigning his position in 1969.

For the remaining decades of his career, Mark used his talents and knowledge serving construction and real estate management companies based in Mississippi. His last and longest commitment was to Unicorp/Park Development in Jackson, where he served as comptroller until his first retirement in 1997. Afterwards, Mark and Mary relocated to Chelsea, Alabama, to be near their children. However, Unicorp continued to seek him out, so Mark worked part-time until the age of 80. In 2012 Mark fully retired to care for his beloved wife Mary, who had begun to develop dementia after surviving treatment for ovarian cancer. Mark and Mary made the short move from Chelsea to Birmingham, near their son’s home. In 2019 they relocated to Madison, Alabama, where they lived with their daughter and her family until Mary’s passing in 2022 and Mark’s departure in 2024.

Mark was preceded in death by his parents as well as his wife. He is survived by his sister Carolyn Ann Herrington Ware, his daughter Lynne Johnson and her husband Keith, and his son Bruce Herrington and his wife Amy. His grandchildren and their families will miss him dearly: Bethany Nemati and her husband Jon; Rachel Mote, her husband Josh, and Mark’s great-grandson Cal; Mark Taylor Herrington and his wife Maddie; and Rebecca Johnson.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Downtown Rescue Mission in Huntsville, AL.

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