Norma Trease is a close family friend of Below Deck Mediterranean alum Captain Mark Howard, and she’s setting the record straight on his death.
Following many misleading reports about Captain Mark’s sudden passing, Norma wants people to know there’s a lot of misinformation out there.
On behalf of Captain Mark’s wife, Susan, Norma openly spoke about his death on the Gangplank Report podcast. Below Deck alum Adrienne Gang and blogger Jen Bennington host the podcast.
Captain Mark Howard’s family friend sets the record straight on his death
Norma was very close with Captain Mark and remains close to his wife, Susan. Captain Mark and Norma worked together in the yachting industry for decades.
Below Deck Med, viewers may recognize Norma’s name as the woman Captain Sandy Yawn calls when she needs a new crew member.
When news of Captain Mark’s death broke, a lot of hurtful speculation was made, leading to incorrect assumptions about his demise.
“He had a tragic accident in his home, and as in any case, when there’s going to be an accident, of course, police had to be called, and there’s going to be an autopsy,” Norma explained. “And yes, indeed, that always leaves the question. And I think, unfortunately, the slightly insinuating tone, starting with TMZ and the other outlets, was less than flattering and very unkind.”
It turns out that TMZ called Norma to talk about Captain Mark following his death. However, nothing she said made it into the article about him.
“They spoke to me. TMZ called me and talked to me about him. And I gave those same kind of honorable, truthful, loving commentary. And told them what the outpouring of those sentiments had been towards Susan and towards all the many people that worked with him and loved him. Did they put any of that in those articles? No, they didn’t,” she shared.
Norma praised the man she called a friend and expressed frustration that who Captain Mark was as a person got lost because of his Below Deck Mediterranean appearance.
“The lovely Captain Mark Howard was at the heart of the yachting industry. I can tell you that. He was loved. He gave back. He was a true seaman. He traveled the world. He attended seminars. He joined organizations. He loved his life, and he was loved by his crew. He was a beautiful, wonderful guy, and then because of the fact he spent one season with Below Deck, now they take advantage of that, and they twist it,” Norma expressed.
Captain Mark’s death sparks an outpouring of love and support
Despite the misleading information in the media, Norma revealed the yachting world, and Below Deck Med fans have honored Captain Mark in the way he truly deserved. She shared a Facebook post following his death that was flooded with the nicest words about Mark and condolences for Susan.
Several Below Deck Mediterranean alums, like Hannah Ferrier and Tiffany Copeland, also used social media to remember Captain Mark. As Nora said, he was loved by his crew.
Captain Mark Howard passed away last week due to a tragic accident. The captain will be missed deeply by his wife Susan and close friends, including Norma Trease, who has set the record straight regarding Captain Mark’s death.
Below Deck Mediterranean is currently on hiatus on Bravo.
I only ever saw Mark on the show and the show is quite new to me, as I usually don’t bother with TV like that(you know, reality nonsense as it is, usually!), yet after seeing his first episode I found myself interested, nah, fascinated with how things work on such a boat…from the Captains duties on the Bridge to the greenest deckhand trying to sweep the deck, to the chef and the usual (it would seem) tantrums coming from the Galley! Anyway I am fascinating aged and the Captain was an interesting and very fair and genuine man. I would have loved to work under the command of such a man in my younger working days. I was a chef so that would probably have meant the Galley for me!
I didn’t stop to comment solely about me me me! I actually wanted to redress the balance here after sadly and annoyingly learning that there has been online smearing and gossip and BS, like the online world is just so great at concocting, in this virtual world of great brave souls that are never scared to speak their mind. You know, anonymously, where no one can really call them out and they don’t have to be responsible for the vitriol or hatred and crud that comes out of them! Oh it angers me so. I just wanted to let anyone who cared about Captain, to know that there is a guy out there from Scotland who watched him treating his colleagues so fairly and with such decency that this guy here knew right away he was watching a really kind sound. A special guy who will, I am in absolutely NO DOUBT, be missed very much by everyone he was friends with in life.
Let us raise a glass to this fine man. Stop with the gossipy smears and move on.
RIP Sir Mark.
A fine man and a kind soul.