MARK SACHON

Mark Arthur Sachon 
January 21, 1961 – June 23, 2025 

 

Mark Arthur Sachon, devoted husband, loving father, and friend to all, passed away peacefully on June 23, 2025, at the age of 64. 

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Born January 21, 1961, in Pittsburgh, PA, Mark was the son of the late Mildred D. (Balker) Sachon and Arthur E. Sachon and younger brother of Carol Schafer, now of Clermont, FL.

 

Raised in Wexford, PA, he graduated from North Allegheny High School in 1979, and went on to earn a Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA. He received his Paralegal Certificate from Community College of Allegheny County and a Master of Library Science degree at the University of Pittsburgh.  

 

He worked as a librarian at Western Psychiatric Institute, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh (Main), and the Library of Accessible Media for Pennsylvanians (LAMP).  

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Mark is survived by his wife of 22 years, Rhonda Wozniak Sachon; his son, Kai Marcus Sachon; and his much-loved extended family, the Wozniaks of Baden, PA, and the Balabans, notably Anne Balaban Lucas (Kai’s birth mother) and Logan Balaban (Kai’s brother) of Purcellville, VA.

 

Rhonda and Mark met through friends, Kevin and Julie Lynch, and were forever grateful for their matchmaking. It was love at first sight on their initial lunch date. A year later, they married in Belize, bonded by a love of adventure and travel. Whether it was scuba diving in the Caribbean, ziplining through trees in a jungle, skydiving from a rickety old Cessna, or rappelling from a Pittsburgh bridge, the joy of life was always better together.

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Mark would say that being a family was the biggest joy of his life. Mark was so very proud to be Kai’s dad. From the time Kai was his “Baby Boss” riding on Mark’s shoulders, through Kai’s teenage years as his “Buddy” by his side, they did everything together. Among their more recent favorite pastimes was debating— everything from current events to movies they watched together. Mark was never prouder than when seeing Kai perform— now as a rising sophomore in the University of Michigan Musical Theatre Department.

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In his professional life, Mark’s passion for service touched the lives of countless individuals at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh (CLP). He began his CLP career in 1992 as a part-time employee in the Pennsylvania Department. Then, he became Manager of Serials and Acquisitions, and in 2007, moved to the Library of Accessible Media for Pennsylvanians (LAMP) as the Recording Studio and Volunteer Manager.   
 
At LAMP, Mark brought patrons, staff, and volunteers together around the work of accessibility. These efforts were enhanced through his 14 year membership in the Pittsburgh Deaf/Blind Lions Club. Mark marshalled the largest community of volunteers at CLP and made them feel welcomed and valued as he guided them through the process of recording digital audio books for the Library of Congress’ National Library for the Blind and Print Disabled.  

 
The books he produced for the Library of Congress are available in perpetuity and internationally to the print-disabled throughout the world.  Mark was a passionate advocate for the community he fostered at LAMP. With Rhonda, he initiated an annual Somatosensory art exhibit where the blind could touch the art while listening to statements recorded by each artist. Mark also made games more accessible, adapting them for the visually disabled, and patrons would join him in weekly game days.  
 
Beyond his family and the Library, Mark’s heart was devoted to and filled by many loves. Whatever the passion, Mark was all-in. Friends in his many circles of interest always became like family to him.

 

Starting at the age of 15, Mark practiced martial arts. He studied with the late Shifu Zhang Luping and Tom Kimmerle. He also studied under Shifu Zhang Yun, and introduced Yun to the Pittsburgh MA community. Every day without fail, he devoted time to various styles of Taiji Quan and Xingyi Quan and generously shared information about martial arts with so many others.

 

He especially enjoyed sharing his love of martial arts with the kids at Sarah Heinz House where he volunteered for the past decade. He delighted in rewarding his students with small gifts chosen especially for them beyond the traditional stripe on a belt. The kids loved Mark, and the snacks he shared didn’t hurt either in making this one of the most popular classes at SHH.

 

He also loved bicycling. Mark participated in rides to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis. He and Rhonda had biked segments of the Great Allegheny Passage and were training to ride half of the GAP this fall.  

 

In his younger days, he was an avid climber and even wrote a book called Urban Blight A Rock Climbers Guide to Metropolitan Pittsburgh under the pen name Joe Roider. 

 

Mark’s love of books goes without saying. The Sachon house is filled with thousands of them, perpetually stacked high in precarious towering piles around Mark’s reading chair and arranged at least two-deep on bookshelves he handcrafted with the help of his good friend, Denny Schilling. Mark loved to share his books and, more often than not, had one on hand for you.

 

Mark loved board games, too. He took games almost everywhere he went in hopes of finding someone to play. He was a regular participant in the annual World Boardgaming Championships in Seven Springs. He often never got much further
than the first rounds because if there was a child involved at his table, of course, he would let them win.

 

Mark could also often be found on a disc golf course— another thing he loved to share with family, friends, and patrons from the Library.

 

Mark’s Spring Hill neighbors knew him as the one who would always lend a hand, an ear, a ride, or anything else that was needed. Whether that meant cutting their grass, weekly grocery runs, or rescuing their pets, Mark would do it all with a smile on his face. You would often see the Sachons walking their dog, Myka, with their cat, Zeeba, following close behind. During walks, Mark was always up for a friendly chat and would remember every word of every conversation.

 

Mark's legacy lives on in the people he helped, the knowledge he shared, and the love and compassion he gave so freely. 
 
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