John Mark Esterly, 65, photographer and family man. Known for his sense of humor, humble and thoughtful approach to life, and unwavering dedication to his family and his art, Mark died on March 6 after a lengthy illness. He was the owner of Pragma Design, a marketing and graphic design firm based in Londonderry, NH. As a photographer, Mark’s goal was to create naturalistic photographs he found personally compelling. He grew a significant body of work that explored specific themes, and exhibited in galleries and festivals around New Hampshire, and earlier, in Michigan. He was a former member of the Board of Directors of the New Hampshire Art Association and was an active member of the NHAA Photo Group. Mark had many interests, from computer programming to cars, nature to basketball, road trips to Tom Clancy novels. He was a great listener. Son of the late John and Marcia (Logee) Esterly and older brother to David Esterly, Mark grew up in Ohio. He attended the University of Michigan, where he studied engineering and then photography and graphic design, before moving to New Hampshire in 1982.
Mark leaves his wife of 43 years, Gayle (Radice) Esterly; daughter Laura Esterly (Denver, CO), her husband Andrew Wermuth and their children Emery and Ian; daughter Karen Esterly (Vancouver, BC), her husband Bryan Clark and their son Cole; his brother David Esterly and David’s wife, Beverly (Westlake, OH); and many extended family and friends. Gayle and the family wish to especially thank the staff at Lahey Oncology and Hematology in Salem, NH, for their attentive and personal care of Mark throughout his illness.
Memorial calling hours were held on Saturday, March 14, 2015 from 10:00am – 12:00pm at the Peabody Funeral Homes and Crematorium, 290 Mammoth Road, Londonderry. A memorial service followed at 12:00pm in the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, donations in Mark Esterly’s honor can be directed to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (pancan.org) to support research funding, and Caringbridge (caringbridge.org).