Family Remembers 'Goofy, Happy-Go-Lucky' Lifelong Tinley Resident, 29

TINLEY PARK, IL — A Tinley Park family is mourning the loss of a son and brother, just two weeks before he was to turn 30.

Mark Pulice Jr. died Saturday after the car he and his girlfriend were in was struck by another driver who was fleeing police in Chicago. The driver was travelling at a high rate of speed when he hit the couple in their Honda Civic, which then spun and hit another car, ultimately creating a chain reaction and damage to several vehicles, said Mark Pulice, father of Pulice Jr.

Pulice Jr. and his girlfriend, a nursing student and doctor respectively, were driving to a Walgreens to get the most recent COVID-19 booster, Pulice said.

Mark's girlfriend suffered minor injuries; Mark was taken to the hospital in critical condition, and died several hours later. The family is seeking a manslaughter charge against the driver, identified as 31-year-old Chicago man Ezell Walker. He appeared in court Tuesday.

Affectionately known as "Marky," the 29-year-old Tinley Park native had found his way back to the medical field after a stint working as a laborer with his father. Prior to that, he had been a paramedic for several years. He was working as a student nurse at Little Company of Mary Medical Center in Evergreen Park, and living at home with his family in Tinley Park to save money, Pulice told Patch.

Mark was the middle sibling, with an older sister Stephanie aged 35, and younger sister Angela, 27. Angela will marry Oct. 15, just two days before what would have been Mark's 30th birthday—two affairs drastically altered by the family's loss.

Pulice spent some time Tuesday remembering his "goofy" son, thinking back to how he loved "to get a rise out of people."

"He loved to make faces and just do crazy stuff, to make people laugh," said Pulice. "He was always happy-go-lucky.

"That didn’t change as he got older. Everybody who knew him, couldn’t help but love him, because he just made them happy."

Mark grew up passionate about sports and music, a member of Tinley Bulldog baseball and a trumpet player at Central Middle School. He went on to Tinley Park High School, where he played baseball and was a varsity swimmer, still keeping up, too, with his trumpet in the jazz band.

After high school, he spent several years as a paramedic with Trace Ambulance, before becoming a union laborer alongside his father. Several years later, he reignited his passion for healthcare and helping others, enrolling in Chamberlain School of Nursing. He had been working at Little Company of Mary, aiming for a graduation date of spring 2023.

Mark's parents Helen—a teacher at Fierke Education Center in Oak Forest—and Mark Sr. have been touched by the outpouring of support for their son, Pulice said. In the days since his death, dozens of his former classmates and area friends have stopped by the family to visit and share memories and stories, Pulice said.

"It's nice, just really nice," Pulice said tearfully.

A GoFundMe has been started to support the family and assist with Mark's medical bills and burial expenses.

Visitation will be held Friday, Oct. 7 from 3 to 8 p.m., at Brady-Gill Funeral Home, 16600 S. Oak Park Ave., in Tinley Park. His family welcomes friends to join them afterward at Teehan's, 17329 Oak Park Ave. Teehan's was Mark's favorite local "watering hole," his father said.

"We’re going to toast and raise a glass in his memory," Pulice said.

A Mass of Christian Burial will take place Saturday, October 8, at 10 a.m., ending at 11 a.m., at St. Julie Billiart, 7399 W. 159th St., in Tinley Park. Committal will take place afterward at 11:30 a.m., ending at 12 p.m., at Good Shepherd Catholic Cemetery, 16201 104th Ave. in Orland Park.

The community's outpouring of support has touched the family, Pulice said.

"It’s a matter of all the outpouring of love from friends and family, and the community," Pulice said. "It’s just amazing how generous people have been. And how appreciative we are."