Marcus Calvin Gundersen
2003-2024
Marcus Calvin Gundersen, a loving son, brother, uncle, boyfriend and teammate unexpectedly passed away on November 27th, 2024 from a Pulmonary Thromboembolism. He was born March 17th, 2003 in Sandy, Utah to Michael Terry Gundersen (deceased) and Cindy Workman Spainhower.
As the baby, Marcus was adored by his family from day one. The blonde haired, blue eyed boy kept his parents on their toes from being obnoxious and exhausting or in his first words “noxious” and “zausting”. He spent a portion of his childhood attending and supporting his sibling’s activities becoming the best cheerleader which rolled over to his nieces. In Marcus’ youth he had the opportunity to enjoy many adventures; horseback riding, camping, fishing, many airsoft wars, paintballing, boating, and traveling (even though he claims he hated to travel). Memories from his travels was him rating all our trips on a scale of 1 to 10. One that stands out was going to Disneyland and he rated it a 1/10. The trip only received a 1 because he witnessed a shark being caught on the Huntington Beach pier. Another favorite was going to Puerto Rico for Christmas. Body surfing in the ocean, kayaking through the Bio Bay and sliding down the waterslides were highlights.. Later in life, travel became more about food and sports.
Marcus played multiple sports. Basketball, baseball, flag football, golf and hockey all before finding his true passion for Lacrosse. He spent time studying and practicing all aspects of the sport. He learned the rules and every position before the Goalie position found him. He played for many teams across Utah, starting with the Brighton Junior League. As his love grew for the sport so did the teams he played on. These teams include the Brighton High School LAX, 801 Tribe, Wasatch LC, Utah Sting (first box lacrosse), UVU, Utah University club team, Greasy Biscuits, Bright City, any pick-up game he could find and ended his career with the Wasatch Whalers in the BLL. Most recently Marcus helped lead the Whalers to 3rd place in the Box Lacrosse League championship in Chicago. He received so many accolades and awards throughout his years. One that stands out is when he had 43 saves and the game winning save during the overtime shootout. For this he received the MVP award and team medallion. On and off the field Marcus was seen as a leader by his teammates, coaches and fans. Usually being the first to arrive and last one to leave the field, always setting the example.
His love for lacrosse didn’t just stop with playing the game. He dedicated several hours of his time mentoring players and coaching teams to victory. He enjoyed every moment of teaching kids his passion. His coaching teams consisted of Brighton High School, Skyline High School, Wasatch 2030 team, Tribe camps, Nike camps and several private lessons. Through coaching he found his love of teaching children. It is even how he got his current position at Channing Hall. He loved helping children and had a gift at connecting with everyone he came in contact with.
Off the field Marcus could be found color dying lacrosse heads and stringing his own lacrosse sticks as well as other players. He loved playing games with his family and making everyone laugh, especially his nieces and nephews. He also enjoyed playing video games with all of his friends. He loved supporting and helping his girlfriend with all her crafts, even if it took up their whole apartment.
Marcus will be greatly missed. Our condolences go out to the Wasatch Whalers community. We express our gratitude to the paramedics and Riverton Emergency Department for all their efforts.
