Dr. Mark Kingston passes away in Louisa
By Roberta Cantrell
BSN Editor
Dr. Mark Blake Kingston of Louisa, passed away peacefully at his home in the early morning of Aug. 29, surrounded by family and friends. He had been battling stage 4 gallbladder cancer for the last 16 months. He was known for his kind, jovial nature, and for the compassionate care he administered to his patients over the years.
Mark is survived by his loving wife of 41 years, Rose Wells Kingston, and his daughter Stephanie Kingston, who thought the world of him.
He also leaves behind five siblings who looked up to him, and whom he loved so much. They all reside in Canada. Mark was the eldest, and is survived by Paula Kingston (the late Al Cook) of Ottawa, Brian Kingston (the late Kerry Kingston) and Drew Kingston (Michelle McCabe) both of Prince Edward Island, Martha Kingston (Stephen Penney) of Toronto, and Stephen Kingston (Michelle Buie) of Halifax, and a brother-in-law, Chris Wells of Louisa.
In addition to his siblings, he also had nine nieces and nephews that he adored. Misti Wells (Shane Hensley), Christian Wells, Sam and Georgia Kingston, Ben Kingston-Cook, Eliza and Noah Kingston, Blake and Paul Kingston. And six great nieces and nephews: Brayden, Kaylee, Jakobie, Javin, Carrie-Ann, and Kendall.
Mark also leaves behind so many close friends, two of which are long time neighbors, and are more like family than friends, Mike and Toni Armstrong.
TRMC Administrator Greg Kiser described Dr. Kingston as not only a great doctor but also a friend.
“I can honestly say Dr. Kingston was one of the smartest, nicest, caring and most interesting to come along our path,” said Kiser.
Co-workers and many of his patients took to social media in remembrance of Dr. Kingston.
Remembering his uplifting words of inspiration and support, along with his knowledgeable advice and soft spoken encouragement.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Dr. Mark B. Kingston and Marion Hurst Kingston, a sister Suzanne Kingston, who died in infancy, and loving in laws R.C. and Libby Wells.
Mark was born in Halifax, Canada on July 28, 1951. He also resided on Prince Edward Island while growing up, and had a lifelong love for the beauty of P.E.I. He always enjoyed visiting family and friends there during the summer. Mark attended the University of Prince Edward Island as an undergraduate, and he graduated from Dalhousie University Medical School in Halifax Nova Scotia.
Dr. Kingston dedicated his life to taking care of people. He practiced Family Medicine at Riverview Family Practice from 1979 until his retirement from there in 2013. He had close friendships with his fellow physicians, Dr. Norman Edwards, and the late Dr. Lloyd Browning (who passed away on Aug. 5). He also worked 42 years as an emergency room physician at Three Rivers Medical Center until his retirement in 2021. He had a career-long dedication to the practice of medicine, with the highest regard for the well-being of his patients. He leaves behind a huge family of co-workers, and close friends from his years at TRMC, whom he has stayed in close contact with, and a lot of whom were able to administer the same compassionate care that he gave to so many through the years.
Mark had so many interests outside of work. He particularly loved reading, art, music, theatre, opera, travel and gardening. He and his family have visited countless countries across five continents, and all four corners of the United States and Canada. During these travels, he especially loved visiting every museum, art gallery, opera house, cathedral, and any building of architectural note he could get to. He exercised his love of photography while sightseeing, and he especially loved sampling the gourmet foods and wonderful restaurants each city had to offer. He will be missed more than he could ever imagine!
A funeral mass will be held at 2 p.m., Friday, Sept. 13, at St. Jude Catholic Church, 1121 Meadowbrook Dr., Louisa. A celebration of Life Service will be held at 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14, at Wilson Funeral Home, Louisa. Visitation will begin at 2 p.m. His ashes will be interred at Greenlawn Cemetery at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, Expressions of Sympathy may be made by donating to the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center Research Fund. Donations can be made online to: ukmarkey.org, or by mail to: UK Markey Cancer Foundation, 115 Waller Ave, Suite 204, Lexington, KY 40503.