Mark L. Trankina

Mark Leonard Trankina, age 54, of Toledo, passed away Tuesday, January 26, 2021. He was born September 30, 1966, in Toledo to James and Ellen Trankina. Mark graduated from Whitmer High School in 1984, and from Ohio University's highly respected aviation program with an Associate of Applied Science degree in 1986 and a Bachelor's of Aerospace/Aviation Sciences degree in 1989. From the moment he stepped from a ride in a small Cessna at the Toledo Air Show as a teen, Mark fell in love with flight—the freedom from the chaotic world on the ground, the adventure, and as his training proceeded, the processes and intense focus required in a controlled yet demanding environment. It would become his life's work.

Above all, he loved teaching, helping others along in his chosen profession. He began his career as a trainer at FlightSafety Academy International Flight School in Vero Beach, Florida, instructing students seeking their private pilot license. He moved to Washington, Pennsylvania, outside of Pittsburgh to start his career at the former Crown Airways, a regional airline operating for USAir Express that flew midsize turboprop planes to major cities in the northeastern U.S. Working with many other pilots and flight attendants in their 20s, this period of his life seemed to be his favorite and produced many stories of a nomadic lifestyle and colorful antics that he would happily recount in later years.

After a brief stint flying cargo for DHL out of Cincinnati, Mark joined World Airways, an Atlanta-based company that at the time operated largely non-scheduled contract flights for the U.S. military, the National Football League, and numerous other private organizations. He traveled the globe many times over, notably flying soldiers to bases around Europe, religious pilgrims to Mecca, and NFL teams to football games, once making the mistake of wishing Bill Belichick "good luck" as he deplaned. (The New England Patriots coach, not a believer in luck, grunted disdainfully.)

In 1998, Mark finally "made it to the majors," joining Northwest Airlines, and staying on as Northwest merged with Delta ten years later. Ultimately, he would put in 12,000 flight hours over 23 years as First Officer on the companies' DC-9 and 757/767 fleets. He also served as a Delta Pilot Ambassador, attending corporate and civic functions representing the company and pilot group, and as a new-hire mentor. And Mark participated in Delta's "North Pole" fantasy flights at Detroit Metropolitan Airport, his home base. In partnership with local hospitals, the annual tradition "flies" dozens of children and returns them to the airport gate, where they are welcomed by Santa to a holiday themed party.

When not working, Mark was still perpetually in motion, traveling endlessly to visit friends and colleagues from the span of his life, all of whom (and their children) he treated as extended family and loved unconditionally. No call for aid went unanswered, and he never missed an opportunity to take anyone on their first single-engine plane ride, spreading the joy he had first realized years prior. Though he never settled down, he was "Uncle Mark" to many.

Mark was preceded in death by his father, James M. Trankina, and brother, Robert R. Moungie Jr. He is survived by his mother, Ellen V. Trankina, and sister, Diana Gaisser.

No memorial service is planned. A Celebration of Life will occur a later date.

In lieu of flowers or other honors, a memorial contribution to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Mark's favorite charity, may be made in his name.

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