Mark Dews

Mark Marvin Dews was born on May 13, 1962 in Bronx, New York to Marvin Dews and Jean Kelley Dews. Mark was the eldest of five siblings. He attended Evander Childs High School and worked in New York, and throughout midtown before relocating to Knoxville, Tennessee. Science says that humor is one of the highest signs of intelligence, and if that’s true, Mark Dews, was one of the smartest humans we know. Mark wasn’t just funny; he knew exactly how to use humor to his advantage.  He used it to get what he wanted, to diffuse uncomfortable situations, and to cope with the ups and downs of life. Mark was, without question, a creative mind—his passions ran the gamut from martial arts to visual arts to DJing. He was well known and loved for his “larger than life” personality and his even larger capacity for love. Mark relocated to Knoxville, Tennessee in 1990. It was there that he met his long-term partner, Sheila Johnson.  Mark worked as a restaurant cook in Knoxville for over twenty years. The moment Mark became a father to his beautiful daughter, Tamara Jean Dews, he was on cloud one thousand, and could not stop playing the song, “Isn’t She Lovely” by Stevie Wonder. He was a proud and over-protective father that loved her dearly. They both loved different genres of music and his daughter certainly gets her humor from Mark as well. Also, Mark had a very good relationship with his daughter's mother, Sabrina Nelson, as well. He would reach out to just say hello and on Mother's Day especially when that day fell on his birthday. Mark would tell jokes and always thanked her for being a wonderful mother to his only child. As his first cousin, Walter Davis, stated, “Mark had a big heart; he could make any cloudy day bright.”  To know Mark was to love him, as his long-term partner, Sheila Johnson, remarked, “Mark gave me 22 years of happiness, joy, and peace; he was my best friend.”   Mark was called home on Friday, March 27, 2020 at 11:45 pm. He died from a heart attack.

Mark was preceded in death by his father, Marvin Dews; brother, Troy Dews and uncle, Warren Dews.

Mark is survived by his mother, Jean Dews of Yorktown Heights, NY; daughter, Tamara Jean Dews of Bronx, NY;  his partner of 22 years, Sheila Johnson of Knoxville, TN; three younger siblings, Jodi, Tory, and Angela, all of New York; aunts, Melvon, Sylvia, Barbara, and Theresa; uncle,  Ronald and Weasel; along with many cousins, nieces and nephews.

Friday, April 10, 2020, a graveside service will take place at 3:00 p.m. at Mount Olive Cemetery, 2500 Maryville Pike, Knoxville, TN with Pastor Bryant Stewart as the eulogist.  At this time, we will remain in compliance with the Governor's Executive Order #17 (COVID-19).  Professional arrangements entrusted to Patton Funeral Home, Brian L. Buckmon, LFD 1-800-824-8283 or www.pattonfuneralhome1962.com and mandated by the CDC and Governor of Tennessee.

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