Mark David Dotson, age 61, passed away Friday, June 14 2019, following an auto accident. He
was born in Milford, Utah Jan 18, 1958 to Mark Robert and Betty Lou Barnes Dotson.
Mark grew up and attended school in Milford, Utah, but his mind, body, and soul were never far
from the western mountains he loved. As a boy, he followed his dad all over those hills
prospecting precious metals and hunting big game. As a teen and young man, Mark put some
of those learned skills to work on drilling rigs that dotted the Milford Valley.
Mark met and married a Beaver girl, Cathy Cartwright, at her parent’s home on October 20,
1979. Together they had two sons, Daniel Cameron and Cody R, and one daughter, Katie. They
later divorced.
Mark and Cathy began their lives together in St George where Mark worked for St. George
Steel as a welder. Later, the young family moved to Enoch where he worked for Western Rock
as an operator, but the desire to be his own boss and the call of those western hills brought him
back to Beaver County and the Milford Valley he loved.
Mark proudly served on the Milford City council from 1994-99, and also owned and operated
several businesses in town where his motto was “Live local, hire local” He took great pride in
being able to provide young families in his community decent jobs for decent wages. Under his
vision, West Hills Excavating did all of the dirt work for the Circle 4 feed mill and rail spur, and
built the Kiewit rail spur at the Murdock siding. By far his most ambitious, successful, and most
gratifying business endeavor was Western Utah Copper Company. He and his business
partners developed the mining claims and properties, and built a multi-million dollar flotation mill
and assay lab.
Mark loved spending time in the mountains, hunting with his family, and cooking in his dutch
ovens. Hamblin Valley was “God’s Country”, and the cabin at the Blue Jays was his little piece
of Heaven on Earth. He was a champion chainsaw wood cutter and could cut a load of wood
faster than we could load it. He was at his happiest sitting near a campfire surrounded by the
laughter and love of his large extended family. He loved practical jokes and had a contagious
knee-slapping laugh that filled any room he was in. He was never far from a diet coke and loved
Cathy’s homemade cinnamon rolls and green chili chicken enchiladas.
The last ten years of his life were hard ones. He suffered from ill health and the devastating
effects of addiction. He became a person he didn’t ever want to be. His struggles alienated him
from friends and family and broke all of our hearts. Mark is at peace now. He knows all the
stories his momma told him about Jesus are true and the kind, funny, loving, generous, hardworking, honest Mark is finally at home.
Mark is survived by his children Daniel (Joanne), Cody (Jessica), and Katie Wright (Clancy),
and their families. Brothers Larry, Ron (Yvonne), John (Patti), Israel (Genelle), Matthew
(Jacque), sister Kita, and their families. He was preceded in death by both parents, 3 baby
brothers, and a grandson Jack Wright.
A memorial service will be held at the Milford City Office building at 6pm on Friday June 21,
2019