Mark Alan “Bumpa” Fugelso

FALMOUTH/DULUTH, Minn. – Dr. Fugelso passed away on May 2, 2024, at the age of 81 at Brentwood Rehab and Nursing Center in Yarmouth. The oldest son of Norman and Harriet Fugelso, he was born on June 18, 1942, in Duluth, Minn.

Mark grew up in Sherman Oaks, Calif., Albert Lea, Minn., and Duluth, Minn. As a child, Mark was interested in space travel and “simulating atomic bomb mushroom clouds”.

He graduated from Duluth East High School in 1960 and received a BSME degree from the University of Minnesota in 1964, and a MSME degree from Stanford University in 1965. After graduating from Stanford, Mark worked as a rocket scientist at United Technology Center in California, where he worked on the predecessors of the rocket engines that powered the space shuttle. Additionally, he worked as an engineer at FluiDyne Engineering Corp., and Honeywell, and finally as an instructor at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb.

In 1978, Mark graduated with a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin ­ Madison under S.M. Wu. After graduation, Mark became an Assistant Professor at Penn State University, an Associate Professor at Boston University, and in 1986, Mark returned home to become a Professor at the University of Minnesota – Duluth, in the Industrial Engineering program. In 2002, Mark was the spark plug for the creation of the Mechanical Engineering program at UMD and he retired as Professor Emeritus in May of 2011.

Professor Fugelso published many papers about kinematics, machine tools, metrology, and digital computer control. He was an inventor, and internationally known expert on computer-controlled cutter-grinding machinery and held U.S patent 3,715,985. Mark was a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the Society of Manufacturing Engineers and was a Registered Professional Engineer in Minnesota.

He was a pilot, aircraft owner, and builder. Mark built and flew a BD-5 and lived to tell the tale. He also owned Cessna 140, N2422V in which he admittedly committed many pilot errors and survived.

Mark loved to travel and went to Europe on numerous trips. He also traveled to Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and spent a summer working in Homer, Alaska. Mark enjoyed fine wine and could often be found listening to classical music, especially opera.

He was married on May 31, 1986, in Belmont, Mass. to Benita Karen Sheaff (“Bee” Fuller). The wedding party was held at their home in Belmont, Mass., that stood on land that had been owned by the bride’ s colonial ancestors, John and Mary Coolidge, who arrived on Governor Winthrop’s Fleet of 1630.

He is survived by his wife of 37 years, Benita “Bee” Fuller-Fugelso; brother, John Norman Fugelso and wife Nessia Shafransky of Lancaster Pa.; daughter, Allison Staley and husband Will Armitage of Falmouth, daughter, Erika Sheaff Fugelso and husband Justin Schlepp of Minneapolis, Minn., son, Skyler Carl Coolidge Fugelso and partner-in-crime Stephanie Makoujy of Freeport; grandchildren, Raeal Staley and partner Michael Soldo, Chloe Staley, Winona Schlepp, Jacob Armitage and Gwen Armitage and partner Jeff Deschenes; and special friends Nancy Armitage and Paulette Hester.

The family would like to extend a special thank you to the staff at Brentwood for the loving care and compassion they showed Mark over the last five months.

There will be an Open House in celebration of Mark’s life on Sunday, May 19, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the family’s residence at 274 Falmouth Rd., in Falmouth. The internment will be a private ceremony.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to:

the Alzheimer’s Society, Maine Chapter or:

The Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital