Another of our brothers-in-arms has died. Mark Coyle was one of my unofficial press agents who booked me on a hundred or more radio and TV shows over the past few years. With an energy and intensity of a true political warrior, Mark put me on talk radio shows across America, from small-town studios to giant syndicates of 200 stations, plus MSNBC, CNN and Fox News. He loved getting us on the airwaves, even if it meant dragging us out of bed early on a Saturday morning.
On the night of October 12-13, Mark drove to Syracuse University with his five year-old daughter Samantha – the little girl was his life – for a much-anticipated homecoming event.
Just outside the city on the New York State Thruway, Mark’s SUV crossed the median and struck an oncoming car head-on. Both Mark and the other driver died. Samantha survived with a broken pelvis and other fractures, and was put into an induced coma. She is expected to recover.
Mark was buried on October 18. He was 42 years old. He is survived by Samantha, his parents, and his sister.
Raised in New York state, Mark earned a communication degree from Syracuse, and pursued a career in broadcast and print journalism with the Metronews radio network and United Press International. He moved into the public relations field, serving as a publicist for politicians and policy experts, and as a political campaign strategist. He is widely credited with being one of the most influential figures in the electoral victory of George W. Bush in the state of West Virginia. He worked for Creative Response Concepts of Alexandria and Key Bridge Communications in Arlington at the time of his death.
Thank you, Mark. You did so much for us, and never asked anything in return.
Réquiem aeternam dona eis, Dómine. Et lux perpétua lúceat eis. Resquiescant in pace.