By Lori EhdeLuverne native Mark Smith was found dead in his Chicago home after suffering a heart attack at the age of 28.His parents, Dave and Cloyce Smith, Luverne, spoke to Mark’s cardiologist Tuesday afternoon."Half of his heart muscle was operating at only 50 percent," Dave said. "As we all know, Mark was a big man, and the heart was having to work harder than usual. … As the doctor put it, his heart just gave out."Doctors told the Smith family that even if Mark had been hospitalized, they may not have been able to help him. "The heart attack was massive," Dave said.He said Mark has known about his condition a few years and was on blood thinning medication and losing weight in recent months. He was six feet tall and 285 pounds."The plan was to lessen the burden with the idea that the heart would build itself back up," Smith said."It wasn’t that he thought he was invincible. But he was single, and some of those lifestyle changes weren’t easy for him. He worked days, and he worked nights, and it was hard on his heart."Mark was employed at Home Depot in Chicago and was making arrangements to return to Luverne to work at Home Depot in Sioux Falls by the end of summer."He was looking forward to coming back here. He really loved Luverne and he loved the people here," Dave said. "Plus, more and more he felt he was missing out on his nephews."Mark’s sister, Carrie, and her husband Chad Overgaard, have two sons, Nathan, 3, and Connor, 1.Dave said knowing about Mark’s condition made the news of the heart less surprising, but he said it didn’t make it easier to hear."There’s a big void, and it’s going to take awhile …," Dave said. "The only thing we can say is if you have kids, love them every day that you can, because you never know. They’re a special gift from God. Mark was 28 years old, and we really appreciated the 28 years we had with him.Now, Dave said, the family is already turning to fond memories for comfort."There were so many good things about him — his love of life, his bear hugs … he just enjoyed life, and enjoyed people," Dave said. "We’ll miss those things, but they give us good memories."A memorial service will be at 1 p.m. Friday in Grace Lutheran Church following a time of fellowship from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
