Mark Avedikian, 51, of Atlanta, GA, passed away Sunday, October 23, 2016 in Gainesville, FL. Mark suffered from a rare and aggressive form of gastric cancer. After a long and courageous battle, Mark passed away at the E.T. York Hospice Care Center in Gainesville, FL.
Mark was born in Atlanta, GA to Nishan and Kathleen Avedikian on May 17, 1965. He went to high school at Peachtree High School and graduated in 1983. Mark was a top ranked junior tennis player at the State, Southern, and National level in both singles and doubles. He was year-end state junior doubles champion on several occasions and Southern 18 & under Boys doubles champion in 1983. He also won the sportsmanship award at the 1983 Boys 18 & under National Indoor Championships and at the International Sugar Bowl Tennis Invitational in 1982. He was the 1983 Boys AAAA Georgia High School state singles champion while at Peachtree High School.
He was a starting scholarship tennis player for the University of South Carolina Men’s Tennis team as a freshman in 1983-84 before transferring to Georgia Tech playing until graduating in 1988. He was an integral part of the 1988 Georgia Tech men’s tennis team that won the regular season ACC title and finished 11th ranked in college tennis. An outstanding doubles player, he finished ranked 27th in doubles in college tennis in 1987 with Richie Gilbert. In 1988, he and Jens Skjoedt were 24-1 in doubles winning the ACC doubles title at the #2 position, a Georgia Tech record that still stands as the highest season winning percentage in GT tennis history.
He graduated from Georgia Institute of Technology in 1988 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Management. Following college, Mark continued his tennis career as a professional tennis player on the ATP Tennis tour for 7 years. He travelled around the world playing in professional tournaments garnering wins over many top professionally ranked doubles teams. He held a world tennis ranking in singles and doubles for 7 years. After playing on the tour, he became a teaching professional in Sanibel Harbor Resort in Florida before moving back to Atlanta. In Atlanta, he joined the staff at the Cherokee Towne & Country Club. He next became Director of Tennis at Druid Hills Golf Club, and later at Smoke Rise Country Club in Tucker, GA.
Mark is preceded in death by his paternal grandfather and grandmother, Katchik (Louis) Avedikian and Satenig Avedikian; maternal grandparents Dr. Guy V. Rice and Ruth R. Rice; and brother Greg Avedikian.
Mark is survived by his wife Kristan Avedikian; father Nishan Avedikian; mother Kathleen Avedikian; daughter Whitaker Kathleen Avedikian; and grandson Nishan Hubert King.
Visitation will be held at Roswell Funeral Home in Roswell, GA on October 27, 2016 at 10:00 – 11:00 am.
Funeral service will be held at Roswell Funeral Home on October 27, 2016 at 11:00 am with Steve Price of Trinity United Methodist Church in Gainesville, FL officiating. A reception will follow at 12:00 pm at the Roswell Funeral Home. Burial will follow at the Green Lawn Cemetery at 1:30 pm. Roswell Funeral Home are handling the funeral arrangements.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Mark Avedikian’s name to Bianka’s Butterfly Fund for PNEY Brain Tumor Research via St. Baldrick’s Foundation. The donation link can be found at https://www.stbaldricks.org/donate/fund/33. Mark was a friend of Bianka’s parents. He closely followed their journey through Bianka’s life with cancer, and was deeply saddened by her passing. Throughout his journey with gastric cancer, he consistently communicated that he lived a full life and felt grateful for every moment lived. He was particularly saddened by the children that suffer through cancer who did not get the chance to live a life as full as his.
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