Kenneth Poe Funeral Services

September 30, 2018

CHARLOTTE-- Dr. Mark Burkett Ardis died peacefully on September 30, 2018 after a short illness, surrounded by his wife, all of his children, and several of their spouses. 

Mark was born June 15, 1929 in Ann Arbor, Michigan to Dr. Emberson Robert Ardis and Ethel Layer Ardis, the second of their three children. He was raised in Standish, Michigan. He was the Valedictorian of his class. His undergraduate and medical education were completed with honors at the University of Michigan. 

He met Jacquelyn Rau, from Monroe, Michigan, as an undergraduate at Michigan, and they were married June 21, 1952. She was the love of his life and his loving boss. 

Following his medical internship, he served for two years as a Captain in the USAF. A miscommunication in the USAF assigned him to the psychiatry service, instead of to the pathology service, which he had requested. He found that he unexpectedly enjoyed the experience and then completed a psychiatry residency at the Menninger School of Psychiatry in 1962. 

He then began his 30-year service with the Veterans Administration. This service took them to Kansas, Minnesota, Illinois, Washington DC, Virginia, and Alabama. His career encompassed clinical psychiatry, extensive administrative responsibility, and education.  He particularly enjoyed teaching medical students and residents at the Universities of Virginia and Alabama. After retirement, he continued teaching at the UNC Charlotte psychiatry program through 2017, where he received the 2008 Nagy Teaching Award for outstanding and sustained contributions to medical education. He was loved by his patients and respected by his peers. 

The Ardis’s moved to Charlotte in 1997, where Mark was an active member of Covenant Presbyterian Church, singing in the choir and serving as a Stephen’s Minister. Additionally, he volunteered for the Salvation Army and Habitat for Humanity. After moving to Sharon Towers in 2005, he began a regular discussion group and served on the Board. 

Outside of the work that he loved, Mark loved and enjoyed his family. 

Mark is survived by his loving wife, Jackie; his brother, Robert Ardis and his sister, Margaret (Phil) Webb. He is also survived by their four children and their spouses, Jan Rapisardo (Tom), Robert (Pam), Ann Ardis (Phillip Mink) and David (Valerie Suslow). He is also survived by eight grandchildren and their spouses, Sarah, Katie (Mark Griffith), Andrew (Ali), Mark (Brittany), Isaac, Julia, Rachel and Alex. He is also survived by seven great-grandchildren; Kaitlyn, Sophie, Maris, Roy, Henry, Oliver Burkett, and Harriet. 

We will miss him greatly, especially his unending curiosity and search for meaning. He always wanted to make a positive difference. His favorite questions were: “who am I?,”  “what’s my purpose?,” “how do I fit in?,” and lastly, “what’s for dinner?”

A memorial service will be held at 2:00 PM on Saturday, October 6, 2018 at Covenant Presbyterian Church. The family will receive friends following the service at a reception held at Sharon Towers at 3:30 PM.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Covenant Presbyterian Church Music Program, 1000 E. Morehead St., Charlotte, NC 28204 or Sharon Towers Residence Fund, 5100 Sharon Rd., Charlotte, NC 28210. 

Arrangements are in the care of Kenneth Poe Funeral & Cremation Service, 1321 Berkeley Ave., Charlotte, NC 28204; (704) 641-7606. Online condolences can be shared at www.kennethpoeservices.com.