Mark Wesnofske, a mechanic and accomplished amateur motocross racer, died last Thursday at his residence in Riverhead. He was 40. The cause of death has not been determined.
Mr. Wesnofske, who grew up in East Hampton and attended high school here, began riding and racing motocross motorcycles as a young teen and went on to compete in regional races and events, at one point qualifying for and competing in the American Motocross Association Amateur National Motocross Championship in Tennessee, one of the country’s premier amateur motocross events. He raced in amateur events for 10 years, wearing number 116.
His family described his riding as “fierce and amazing,” and his mother, Lori Wesnofske, said that “he lived and breathed dirt bikes.”
“This,” his family wrote, “was despite being injured in a riding accident as a young teen, which left him with broken legs and other injuries.”
“The best times, for Mark, were motocross,” said his sister, Katie Aldred of Sag Harbor.
Following in the footsteps of his father, Stephen Wesnofske, Mr. Wesnofske was a skilled mechanic and had worked in the trade since high school, most recently at his father’s East Hampton automotive service business. He also enjoyed cooking — his specialties were chicken soup, meatballs, and spaghetti Bolognese, his family said — and he was a “fanatic” of the New England Patriots.
Mr. Wesnofske was born to Stephen Wesnofske and the former Lori Webb on Jan. 16, 1979. He attended school in Sag Harbor and East Hampton.
He had a daughter, Madeline, 5, with Emma Pittman of East Hampton, and was “a devoted and doting father,” his family said. In addition to his daughter, his sister, and his parents, who live in Springs, he is survived by a niece, a nephew, and many cousins.
Visiting hours will be tomorrow from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Yardley and Pino Funeral Home in East Hampton. A memorial gathering will follow from 5 to 8 p.m. at the American Legion Hall in Amagansett. Mr. Wesnofske was cremated.
Donations have been suggested to local volunteer ambulance companies.