Who Is Mark Dobrosky? New Details About Katie Couric's Future Son-In-Law

For many of us, the faces who greet us first thing in the morning when we turn on the TV become a critical part of our lives. Somewhere along the line, they transform from being talking heads on a TV screen and into friends or family members, people we turn to in times of need or just when we're looking for something to brighten our day. For years Katie Couric has been that for so many people. As a news anchor, as a morning news host, and as a television personality, people have always been solidly in Katie's corner.

Katie Couric's journey has been a remarkable one, full of highs and lows. Recently, she got to share one of the highs with her fans all over the globe when she shared the news of her daughter Ellie's engagement to her long-term boyfriend Mark Dobrosky.

So who is Mark Dobroky? Here's everything you need to know about the proposal and how Mark totally nailed it.

1. Katie's Joy

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OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG Ellie and Mark are engaged! OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG And she’s wearing the ring her Dad gave to me. #happytears #heaskedmypermission #ikeptasecret #jaywouldbesoproud #mazelmazelgoodthings #takegoodcareofmybaby #ohjesusguessihavetothrowawedding #weloveyoumark #monster-in-law
A post shared by Katie Couric (@katiecouric) on Feb 10, 2019 at 1:20pm PST

Katie Couric, 62, is over-the-moon about the announcement her daughter Ellie shared with the world back in February.

Ellie, 27 and a writer who works in the television business just like her mama, shared with her mother that she and her boyfriend Mark Dobrosky are engaged! As you can probably imagine, the ebullient Couric couldn't have been happier for her oldest daughter (she's also the mom to 23-year-old Caroline Monahan). In fact, she was so overjoyed that she beat her daughter to the punch, proudly announcing their engagement on her Instagram in a way that only America's favorite ray of morning sunshine could:

As we all know, a caption is everything on Instagram, and suffice to say that the announcement post she shared about Ellie and Mark's news knocked both image and caption out of the park. “OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG Ellie and Mark are engaged," she shared with her fans all over the globe.

2. How Mark Proposed

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“If the soft breeze fans your cheek, it shall be my breath; or the cool air cools your throbbing temples, it shall be my spirit passing by.” - From a letter by Sullivan Ballou to his wife Sarah in 1861. He was 32 and died one week later in the first battle of Bull Run. This was one of Jay’s favorite letters, read to “Ashokan Farewell”(such a beautiful song) in Ken Burn’s Civil War series. Happy Birthday Jay. #foreverinourhearts And thank you friends for your sweet, caring comments.
A post shared by Katie Couric (@katiecouric) on Jan 9, 2019 at 11:29pm PST

But the tear-jerking moments don't stop there. In addition to singing her daughter and Mark's joy from the rooftops, Katie also shared something very touching and deeply meaningful to the family and to anyone who knows Katie's personal story: "OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG And she’s wearing the ring her Dad gave to me,” her caption read.

Katie was married from 1989 to 1998 to her first husband, Jay Monahan (father to both of her beloved daughters). Monahan was a respected lawyer and legal pundit who often appeared on TV news as an analyst. The couple wasn't famous when they tied the knot. In fact, their small wedding was held in their front yard!

When Jay died of colon cancer in 1998 the loss hit Katie hard. Not only did she lose her husband and the love of her life, but she was suddenly a single mother to two growing girls. She was open about the difficulties she faced and this just made her fans love her even more.

"As a single mom, it’s definitely challenging. Add trying to have a social life and it can get even trickier. I try to limit the things I do at night and not travel too much. If I do have to be away for work, I make sure I’m home for the nights before I leave and build in plenty of time at home once I return," Katie said in 2012 to Working Mother.

3. Katie's Life After Jay

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Hi from @sandiego_ca y’all! What a beautiful city!!!!
A post shared by Katie Couric (@katiecouric) on Jan 27, 2019 at 5:48pm PST

Katie let her heart heal the best she could while still keeping Jay's memory alive and raising their girls the best that she could. She also became a serious advocate for colon health, participating in a live colon cancer screening on TV to help normalize this straightforward but life-saving procedure in honor of Jay.

On the 20th anniversary of Jay's death, Katie shared a photograph of him on her Instagram page, making it clear that he will always hold a serious spot in her heart. But Katie also didn't let her life come to stop when she lost Jay, either. After his passing, she had a few relationships, but nothing seemed like it was ever going to stick. Then, she met prominent Chicago financier, John Molner. She and Molner tied the knot in 2014 and have been happy together ever since.

But just because she's found love again, that doesn't mean that she's forgotten Jay. He will always be in her heart, particularly during times like this as their eldest daughter begins to prepare for married. Katie commented on the third hour of TODAY that it was “unfair” that Jay didn’t get to see their daughters grow up and “see the magnificent people they’ve become. I think he would've proud of them."

4. Excited For The Future

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When I first laid eyes on the Taj Mahal, I was so moved. It took my breath away. (I was surprised by my reaction!) Rudyard Kipling described it as “the embodiment of all things pure” while the poet Tagore called it “a teardrop on the cheek of eternity.” Emperor Shah Jahan built it to honor his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died giving birth to their 14th (!) child in 1631. The entire complex took 22 years to complete and 20,000 people worked on it using semi translucent white marble carved with flowers and inlaid with thousands of semi-precious stones. (Thank you @lonelyplanet) Shah Jahan, who supposedly turned gray overnight he was so distraught, said the Taj Mahal made “the sun and the moon shed tears from their eyes.” He had a sad end to his life (see previous post) but is now buried next to his wife (thanks to his daughter and not that awful son!) Meanwhile, wives one and two are buried nearby in two separate domes. Guess he wasn’t that into them! Meanwhile, I found out that kissing in public is frowned upon AFTER we took this photo, so I apologize! ( I’m really not into PDA, but what can I say? I told you I was moved!) I will post some more of our TWO visits here but don’t want to overwhelm you all! Meanwhile as I write this, I’m having tea in Jaipur at the most amazing place! #bucketlist
A post shared by Katie Couric (@katiecouric) on Nov 29, 2018 at 4:01am PST

5. Katie is going to help plan the special day.

Ellie and Mark are certainly lucky to have Katie's help in planning their special day. They have yet to announce the date of their wedding, but you can be sure that when it happens Katie will be there eagerly documenting it all for our enjoyment on Instagram.

Katie's also having fun already with the idea of being a mother-in-law, too! “I’m going to be a monster-in-law!” Katie said on TODAY, but then putting her gentle teasing aside, she spoke from the heart about her feelings for her soon-to-be son in law.

“We love him and most importantly, she loves him and he loves her. I’m so excited, and she’s so happy. She’s going to be a beautiful bride.”

Rebecca Jane Stokes is a writer living in Brooklyn, New York with her cats, Batman and Margot. Her work focuses on relationships, pop culture and news. For more of her work, check out her Tumblr.