Countless airplane pilots still make it safely home today because of the blinking white lights on tall structures that Fred Mark designed long ago during his 20-plus years as an electronics engineer.

The beacons, or obstruction warning lights as the FAA more properly calls them, are a fitting metaphor for the faith story of Fred and his wife, Jeanne, too.

Members of Triad Baptist Church for nearly 12 years, they live out its mission to worship, serve, connect and reach to show others how to experience the same deep joy and contentment.

They sing in the choir, volunteer with Triad’s Nehemiah’s Few handyman ministry and do other community work, lead a Connect Group, serve on a committee of the Faithful Friends senior adult ministry, and are members of the Living Epistles Sunday School class.

Those who know them best say it’s their quiet and humble love for Jesus Christ and Triad Baptist that inspires them to help and serve others.

Lead Pastor Rob Decker honored the Marks’ legacy Jan. 19 with the church’s 20th Heritage Award—a special honor presented annually to senior adults since 2003.

‘Helps people’

“Jeanne and I believe it is important to use our gifts,” Fred said. “We are ‘helps’ people and try to be good neighbors. When it comes to our walk of faith together, we think both the destination and the journey are important.

“Even when it may be tough, we know the end—both short and long term—worth it,” he said. “When someone cries over having a wheelchair ramp installed, or a friend because of something we’ve been able to do to help them, I know we have blessed and been blessed ourselves.”

Added Jeanne, “When we help people, it’s because the Lord has directed us to.”

‘People you can count on’

Worship Director Scott Compton counts himself fortunate to have people like the Marks in his choir for Triad’s traditional service.

“Fred is a tenor and Jeanne an alto who actually began singing in the choir with us two years before they officially joined the church,” Compton said. “They have been very faithful and punctual members—people you can count on. They are always present unless they are out of town or sick and understand the importance of our music as worship to God.”

Harold Simcox, who leads Triad’s Nehemiah’s Few handyman ministry, feels the same way. The Marks completed their first project with him in January 2011 when they did work for a disabled veteran. Up until about three years ago, Simcox said the couple worked side by side until Jeanne’s arthritis of the spine made it physically impossible for her to continue.

“I first met Fred and Jeanne doing a Nehemiah’s Few presentation to their Sunday School class,” Simcox said. “They asked about Nehemiah’s Few and from that day forward they have been a part of our ministry. They’ve proven to be hard workers not afraid of a long day’s work and have the unique talent of being able to work on many different things.

“After Jeanne’s surgery, Fred became a go-to-guy for some of the more complex jobs that we’ve had to do. His engineering background gives him talents and abilities and such a vast knowledge beyond the common man.”

Simcox said that includes the jig Fred built to ensure perfect spacing between fence pickets in wheelchair ramps and complex repairs of tools Nehemiah’s Few would have had to pay others to make.

“Fred and Jeanne are amazing people and have done so much for so many people,” he said. “It would be hard to recognize them with ample earthly credits; no doubt their reward in heaven will be great.”

‘We are a team’

Fred and Jeanne grew up in New England in small New Hampshire and Vermont communities on opposite ends of the same bridge. Both accepted Christ as Savior as teen-agers—Fred at age 15 and Jeanne at age 16—and they’ve been married for nearly 68 years.

The Marks had five children (their second daughter drowned at age 17 in an accident) and they have 10 grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.

Before moving to North Carolina in June 2010, the Marks lived in Nashua, New Hampshire. Fred is an Air Force veteran (1956-1965) who first honed his electronics skills to keep his squadron’s bombers aloft and in good working order during the Cold War.

“I said to Jeanne when we came here, ‘If we are going to do it we will do it together,’ ” Fred recalled of the move to North Carolina.

“In the service and career after that I worked and Jeanne raised the family,” he said. “Now we are able to work side-by-side. We are a team. Jeanne is a true helpmate and any honor I receive goes equally to her.”

Even with her arthritis, Fred marvels at how Jeanne purposefully makes time to packs food boxes three hours a week for the Salvation Army—her physical limit—because she wants to keep serving.

‘A clean, respectable life’

Fred, who is 86, and Jeanne, who joined him at that age on Jan. 12, attribute their longevity and health to staying active, being lifelong learners (including of the Bible) and relying on the Holy Spirit’s power to help them honor God in word and deed.

“I once told a really foul-mouthed co-worker, ‘Any one can use four-letter words. Learn some six-letter words and everyone will think you are a genius,’ rdquo; he recalled.

“What has worked for us all these years is this: Be honest and dependable, learn all you can and— most of all — live a clean, respectable life that honors God.”