Mark Anderson Gladden

On August 10, 2022, Mark Anderson Gladden went home to be with the Lord.  He was born November 8, 1959 in Columbia SC at Baptist Hospital, Richland County.  He was born a son to the late Kenneth Theodore Gladden Sr and Carnell (Connie) Cribb Gladden.  Mark graduated from the Class of ’77 at Hemingway High School in Hemingway SC.  After graduating Mark attended some college at Francis Marion University in Florence SC and then moved to San Diego CA for several years. After moving back to SC he worked as a server in several of the Grand Strand's Finest Restaurants, such as Dimitri’s, The Derby Bar & Grill, D’Antoni’s Restaurant, and others. Mark received a job offer to move to Asheville NC as a Dining Room Manager for a new restaurant opening downtown and he took the position and moved living the next 14 years in the beautiful NC Blue Ridge Mountains. He loved Asheville.  He always said as soon as he rode into town that early morning and he looked around and whispered “I’m Home.”  “It was like Heaven on Earth.” Well, the restaurant folded and closed and Mark decided he would stay in Asheville creating a life for himself there.  Little did he know it would be the beginnings of his careers in years to come.  Mark worked at Biltmore Estates at Deerpark Restaurant as a server for a couple of years and started working as a designer at a lovely floral shop in South Asheville called “The Golden Cricket”.  Here Mark was able to learn many techniques and design methods from his employer, and dear friend, Cynthia Gillooly.  From what he learned from those weddings designed at Biltmore Estate, Biltmore Forest Country Club and throughout Asheville area, he was able to start freelancing and designing some gorgeous weddings of his own.  He also found a true love of his working with the Senior Adults at Deerfield Episcopal Retirement Community where he was the Activity Director for the Assisted Living Facility.  He loved planning activities and throwing parties and playing the piano, having sing a longs. After leaving Deerfield, he moved to Columbia SC where after a 23 year battle of alcohol addiction, Mark got sober and to this day has continued to be drink free and sober for 20+ years.  AA and the wonderful friends in the program saved his life and he was forever grateful to them for his sobriety.  After moving to Columbia SC he worked for a quaint floral shop called “Floral Arts and Basquettes”. There Mark competed and won 3 competitions at the SC Floral Convention.  He took his new confidence and moved back to Myrtle Beach after being gone for 16 years.  Here he started a freelance wedding design/floral business called “M. Gladden Designs”, which he was rather successful with.  His favorite thing at any wedding was presenting the bride with her bouquet and wait to see the joy on their faces when they saw their gorgeous bouquets and other floral designs.  He also decorated homes for Christmas in the Grand Strand area. In September 2006, he was asked to design a wreath that was presented on the cover of “Southern Living Magazine”-Sept 2006. He always said that was his claim to fame. After his illnesses started back several years ago, Mark was unable to design any longer and retired.  He truly missed those wonderful but stressful days of designing weddings and events and sharing the wonderful gift the Lord had given him to share. But just when Mark thought there was nothing left to do or create he found a new love as an acrylic artist.  During Covid he started watching YouTube videos and picked up a paint brush and the rest is history.  For the last 1 and a half years Mark has painted some gorgeous paintings and shared them with his friends and family. Mark was always a chameleon, recreating himself into designing or doing some other creation. Besides flower design, Mark was a pianist and jewelry designer. He loved his friends and he loved his little dog RJ. We haven’t mentioned his partner, RJ.  RJ was the love of his life.  RJ was with him 14 years until just last year he went across the Rainbow Bridge to Doggie Heaven.  RJ was Mark’s everything.  He terribly missed him every day after he was gone.  They are now reunited in Heaven. 

Mark was predeceased by his parents and survived by his three brothers: Kenneth T Gladden Jr (Ted) and wife Sarah; David A Gladden (David) and wife Sandra; Joel N Gladden (Joel) and wife Jane; Nieces: Melissa Gladden Finch, Emma Grace Gladden, Savannah Finch, and Hayley Finch; Nephews: Will Gladden (Rachel) and Wyatt Gladden; Step Niece: Louise Monteith (Charles); Step Nephew: Dee Patterson (Ashley).

The family will receive friends from 10:00am to 11:00am Saturday, August 13, 2022, at McMillan-Small Funeral Home. Funeral services will be 11:00am Saturday, August 13, 2022 at McMillan-Small Funeral Home Chapel with Pastor Tom Smith and Bishop Jimmie Smith officiating and burial to follow the service at Ocean Woods Memorial Cemetery in Myrtle Beach. The family will accept flowers, but if anyone would like to make a donation in Mark’s Memory please do so at the American Cancer Society or the Grand Strand Humane Society.  An online guestbook is available at www.msfh.net.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Mark Anderson Gladden, please visit our floral store.