I’ve developed a theory since I started writing this column almost a year ago. A person will have many stories to tell in the span of their lifetime, but the most important two will invariably be the story of how they found their true work and the story of how they found their true love.
Christine and Mark Eisele met at a Halloween party at a local tavern in 2014. She was Catwoman. He was a clown. Christine says Mark was staring at her.
“Do I know you?” she asked.
He didn’t exactly answer, and she was suspicious, not for any particular reason, mostly because she had seen IT, and nobody wants to meet Pennywise.
Then one of the women in her group told her she had gone to high school with the clown. Christine felt better but was still wary.
The bartender came to her with a drink. The clown had sent it over. She went to thank him. Still, there wasn’t a whole lot of conversation going on. Then, as predictably as the gesture of sending over a free drink, fate stepped in.
They discovered all their friends had left the club while they were talking and now the club was closing. They were stranded with no way to get home.
“Don’t worry,” Mark said. “We’ll just go outside.”
How he thought that would help their predicament remains a mystery to this day. Some precognition, I guess.
“We got outside,” Mark said, “and there was a taxi waiting.”
The driver asked, “Are you John?” and Mark said, “Yes.”
The couple married in 2022 and are expecting a son in January who will be named “Ace.” Ace Eisele. It’s got a nice ring to it.
Christine grew up in Newtown after the family moved there to accommodate her dad’s job when she was five years old.
She is a Senior Account Manager at Always Advancing Manufacturers, a promotional products supplier in Newtown. Established in 2008, it makes awards, medals, apparel and other promotional products mostly for endurance events, but also events of all kinds across the globe. The business has provided products to clients as far away as Australia for the Melbourne Marathon Festival, and as near as the Broad Street Run in Philadelphia. It also provides awards and apparel to local schools.
“I joined Always Advancing eight years ago as an administrative assistant and quickly moved into an account manager position, assisting clients with their custom orders. I’m with them every step of the way, from introduction to final delivery. I help come up with design options, provide quotes and preproduction samples, and arrange shipping details.”
Christine likes the fact that there is unlimited potential for growth within the company.
Mark is a master water/sewer technician for the Northampton, Bucks County Municipal Authority, which was established under the 1945 Pennsylvania Municipality Authorities Act. Located in Richboro, the authority’s mission is “to keep you informed about the excellent water and services we deliver... Our goal is and always has been to provide a dependable supply of drinking water and sanitary sewer services.”
I haven’t thought much about sewers since reading Les Miserables in high school when Jean Valjean hid in them to avoid Javert, although I am always thankful for indoor plumbing, especially when I think of humanity’s earlier need for chamber pots.
Mark was born in Churchville. Twenty years ago, after graduating from Council Rock South, he began as a junior sewer technician, operating a jet truck that cleaned sewer lines. “Basically, a big power washer,” he says.
Mark had to acquire additional certifications and training to be what he is now, a master technician. He explains in more detail what his work entails. “I operate the camera truck, which is a remote-control camera that drives all around sewer lines looking for any cracks, breaks, or weaknesses in infrastructure and I also look for root problems.”
Mark likes that his work keeps him outdoors. “I could never be trapped behind a desk all day.”
Christine and Mark are blessed. They are happy in their work and with each other. Ace is a lucky little boy.
"It's a Living" is a weekly column showcasing residents who are making a living in an interesting way, or people who’ve reinvented their careers because they could no longer ignore the voice in the back of their heads telling them to start over, take a risk, chase a dream or set out on their own.
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