mark lenzi was the son of ellie and bill lenzi and raised in fredericksburg, virginia with his three siblings. his decision in high school to switch from wrestling to diving created strife between father and son at first, causing lenzi to move out of the home for a brief period. however the elder lenzi became a strong supporter and was even in attendance at the 1992 barcelona olympics. after retiring, lenzi and his wife dorothy settled in greenville, north carolina.