March 8, 2022

West Penn Power’s John Ancosky remembers Mark Baum as being a “real people person” – regardless of the circumstance.

“I recall a situation where a customer would not let us on their property to replace a broken pole. Mark stopped at the customer’s house and the next day our crews were permitted to perform their work. I don’t know what Mark said, but he just had a nice way with people,” said John, a manager in Work Management and one of Mark’s former supervisors.

A Line supervisor at the Butler (Pa.) Service Center, Mark passed away on Feb. 9, 2022, unrelated to COVID-19. He was 59 years old and only a few weeks away from retirement.

Coworker and long-time friend Matt Ritzert, a Line troubleshooter at the Clarion Service Center, said that Mark was an all-around good guy who was well-liked and respected by his colleagues. “Mark loved his job and he loved working at West Penn Power,” said Matt. “He was very friendly and kind to everyone he met. Mark treated you the same – whether you were a line worker or the CEO of the company.”

Mark joined West Penn Power in 1986 as a lineman at Kittanning Service Center. Over the course of his career, he spent time on the 500 Line Crew – a traveling group that performs maintenance on the company’s transmission system – and as a line worker at the Clarion facility.

He was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed hunting and fishing with friends and coworkers and taking care of his family’s farm. He will be remembered for his sense of humor, his fondness for country music and his love for his family – especially his two grandkids.

Mark leaves behind his wife and three daughters. He often spoke to coworkers about his kids and how proud he was of their accomplishments. During this difficult time, our thoughts are with Mark’s family, including his work family at West Penn Power.