Marios Nicolas Hortis

Marios Nicolas Hortis, an inspiring and beloved Health Fitness Trainer and Manager, age 42, passed away on Sunday, April 9, 2017 in Miami, Florida due to gun shot wounds suffered at his place of work by a disgruntled ex-employee.
Mario was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on December 19, 1974 and grew up in St. Cloud, Minnesota. He attended Montessori and Campus Lab elementary schools, South Jr High and St. Cloud Technical High School where he was the co-captain of the soccer team his senior year. In 1997 he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree, majoring in economics, from Saint John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota. In his youth he loved baseball, soccer, karate, fishing, deer hunting, chess, collecting sports cards, and watching his favorite professional sports teams. As an adult, one of his favorite authors was Gary Zukav who wrote “Soul Stories,” among others.
Unfulfilled by a corporate lifestyle, Mario wrote later, “I began to explore spiritual avenues and take better care of myself physically.” Mario left a secure job at a Fortune 500 company to do what he loved. He had a successful modeling career that took him to Minneapolis, Chicago, New York, Greece and Miami and was featured in a giant ad in Times Square and scores of National Magazines. Mario’s real passion though was teaching fitness and wellness to those seeking healthier living. He continually took health and nutrition classes, obtained many professional certifications, and studied yoga & meditation practices. Mario’s fitness classes at The Firm Fitness Club in Minneapolis and then Equinox Fitness Club in Miami, Florida developed long waiting lists of enthusiastic students. He trained everyone from professional athletes to rehabilitation patients. He spent thousands of hours in intimate conversations with those seeking fitness guidance. One of his many fitness clients stated “I cherished him as a one of a kind friend. I will miss his infectious smile, and our smart engaging talks about everything from state of the world to the latest fitness techniques. He was an exceptional teacher who changed peoples lives for the better.” In 2012 he met the love of his life, Carolina Eckardt, originally from Columbia. They lived together in South Beach in a high-rise condo overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, just blocks away from the beach they loved.
Mario will be dearly missed by his family, friends, fitness trainers he mentored and managed, and legions of students. He is survived by Carolina Eckardt, father Theophanis C. Hortis (formerly from Lefkas Greece) and step-mother Linda Hortis; mother Loretta A. Trulson and step-father Kent K. Trulson; older brother Alexander “Tyke” Hortis and younger step-sister Angela E. (Angie) Trulson; and many uncles, aunts, and cousins from Minnesota and thoroughout United States, Greece, and Canada. Among his many personal friends, he was especially close to David W. Gans, Bret Gustafson, and Howard Fishman. Even in death, Mario’s superb physical condition enabled him to donate organs to many needy recipients.
A Celebration of Life Ceremony will be held in St. Cloud. The traditional Orthodox Faith 40th day Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, May 20th, at 11:00 A.M. at the Holy Myrrhbearers Orthodox Church, 601 7th Ave. South, St. Cloud, Minnesota, to be followed by a fellowship luncheon in celebration of Mario’s life. Charitable donations are preferred in the form of checks to the Marios Hortis Memorial Scholarship Fund at Saint John’s University, Saint John’s University, P.O. Box 7222, Collegeville, MN, 56321 or donate online at www.sjualum.com. The Marios Hortis Scholarship will go to promising students pursuing professional careers in health and wellness.