ORIENT, Ohio — Mark Robinette is being remembered as a hero.
When his Pickaway County house caught fire early Tuesday morning, his family said Mark got his wife and two children out safely, then ran back inside when he found out two of his other children were still inside.
“He pushed some of them out the window but he was determined he was going to get them all out and if there was a way he would have,” said Mark’s brother-in-law, Geoffrey Trapani.
Tragically, Mark, 55 and his two sons, 10-year-old and 17-year-old Gideon did not make it out.
A small memorial has been set up outside the home, which has been deemed a total loss. The family is staying at a hotel, while they look to rebuild their lives without Mark and the two boys.
“Three remarkable people and there is a hole in the world without them,” Trapani said.
Mark and his wife, Andrea raised eight children, two of whom were adopted. Mark was a pastor at Foundation Church in Mt. Sterling, that he founded in 2000.
His family said he led a life dedicated to service in central Ohio and abroad. He started his organization Mission to Myanmar, where he would travel on missions and helped build an orphanage. He was also an author and working on writing another book.
“He was involved in a lot of things. If he saw a need he was involved in it. If he saw people in need he was involved in it. They work with human trafficking groups, they work with the homeless, those who suffer from mental illness but needed help,” Trapani said. "He would go under bridges and talk to people. Just a remarkable but down to earth guy, loved the lord and he leaves a pretty big hole.”
Mark’s service was a family affair and his sons leave behind legacies of their own.
Liam is remembered as a sweet young boy who “everyone loved”.
Gideon was getting ready to go to college, and planned to follow in his father’s footsteps in ministry.
“You don’t think there are perfect kids but they would come close as you could find,” Trapani said of his nephews.
A vigil was organized for the family on Tuesday evening, and the community has already raised nearly $90,000 for the family between two GoFundMe accounts, one of which can be found here.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but investigators say foul play is not suspected.