Dr. Mark Matli was born on May 6, 1951 in Watonga, Oklahoma. He was baptized July 15, 1951 at Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church, Watonga. He attended Watonga schools where he was Junior and Senior High valedictorian, class president, and band president. He earned several awards and was an Eagle Scout. He attended Oklahoma State University, where he was a member of numerous scholastic honorary fraternities. He graduated from O.S.U School of Veterinary Medicine in 1976 and had been a lifetime member of the American Veterinary Medical Association. He married Marilyn Kay Corrick on August 17, 1974.

After graduation, Mark and Marilyn resided in Ft. Smith, Arkansas, where they had their first child Jennifer in 1976. The family later moved to Tulsa where their son Marcus was born in 1979. The family established the Harvest Hills Veterinary Clinic in Oklahoma City and relocated to Piedmont in 1983. They became active members of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church where Mark played in the Monk’s Band and Marilyn taught Sunday School together. Their third child Trevar Ryan was born in September 1983. The Mark Matli family is a loving Christian family that worked and played together. They were deeply loved and will be greatly missed.