It
is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Mark E. Sikora
II on Saturday, March 8, 2025. Mark was born in Burlington, Vt., on
October 5, 1946, to Mark E. Sikora and Elizabeth (Guyette) Sikora.
Mark
attended Rice Memorial High School and graduated in 1964. He attended
Champlain College and graduated in 1969. He was a member of the
Vermont Air National Guard for almost 20 years. Mark met Kathleen
(Kathy) Oak in Plattsburgh, N.Y., in 1966, and they were married in
1968. Their first son was born while living in an apartment in
Burlington above Sikora’s Shoe Repair, where he had worked through
high school and college with his grandfather and uncle. Mark and his
family moved to Long Island, N.Y., for two years, where he worked for
an auto parts company. Mark returned with his family to his beloved
Vermont in 1971, where they welcomed their second son while living in
South Hero. They moved to Richmond in 1973.
In
1971 Mark and Kathy started Sikora Auto Parts, which was a successful
business. In the early years, Mark would sell auto parts out of his
truck, and in 1987 they opened a retail store in Richmond. They sold
the business to Maynard Auto Supply in 1994. Mark continued seeing
his customers, many of whom became friends, until May 2024, when he
finally had to retire from Fisher Auto Parts due to health
complications. He always considered himself a “wagon peddler”
rather than a salesman. He loved working.
As
their children grew, they took up golf, something they both enjoyed.
Mark and Kathy were longtime members at the West Bolton Golf Club and
played courses throughout Vermont, the U.S. and Canada. Golf was
often the reason for or part of their vacations. Mark wouldn’t have
said he loved to travel, but he did enjoy the destinations and
experiences shared with family and friends. Their last road trip was
in September 2024, to visit their grandson in Colorado and see parts
of the U.S. and Canada they had never seen before. Major trips
included Bermuda, Costa Rica, Margarita Island, and a river cruise
through the Netherlands, Germany, France and Switzerland.
Mark
was a lifelong fisherman and hunter. He looked forward to annual
hunting trips to New York and Pennsylvania with his son, grandson and
best friend, Jimmy Dattilio. Mark often greeted you with a smile or a
joke and usually with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. He was a
friend to many.
Mark
is survived by his wife, Kathy; sons, Mark and Matthew (Heather
Gibbs); grandsons, Johnathin (Liza Sikora) and Tyler;
great-grandchildren, Lukas Ladieu, Mackenzie Ladieu, Ace Sikora and
Sophia Sikora; siblings, Netti (Jerome Rand), Jeffrey (Kathleen
Malaney) and Jill (Robert Cain); nieces and nephews Nolan Cain,
Sikora Cain, Molly Dedes (Alex), Kristen Winningham (Nico) and Jay
Rand (Charlotte); aunt, Patricia Sikora; and many cousins, friends,
neighbors and customers.
He
was predeceased by his parents, Mark and Elizabeth Sikora; his
mother- and father-in-law, Molly and Jack Oak; and niece Chelsea
Sikora.
Visiting
hours will be on Saturday, March 15, 2025, 4 to 6 p.m., at Ready
Funeral Home, 68 Pinecrest Dr., Essex Junction, VT. A gathering for
his friends and family will be announced at a later date.
In
lieu of flowers, please make contributions to the Green Mountain Conservation Camp Endowment Fund, Vermont Fish & Wildlife Dept.,
1 National Life Dr., Davis 2, Montpelier, VT 05620-3702, or Machia Wilderness Camp, 703 Dorset St., South Burlington, VT 05403. Please
visit their websites for donation information.
This article appears in Mar 5-11, 2025.