Mark Stephen Geyer

Mark Stephen Geyer, 63, passed away on December 7, 2021 in Houston, after an 18-month battle with pancreatic cancer. He was born on November 29, 1958 in Indianapolis, Indiana to his parents Larry and Ila Geyer, and lived in many cities including: Springfield, Ohio, Boise, Idaho, Kirkwood (St. Louis), Missouri, West Lafayette, Indiana, and San Jose, California. Mark earned both his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from Purdue University. Mark met Jackie, his wife, in San Jose and they were married in 1987.

Since 1990 he lived in Houston, TX while working for NASA at Johnson Space Center. In 1994 Mark joined the International Space Station Program, where he served a variety of roles until 2005, including chair of the space station Mission Management Team, manager of the ISS Program Integration Office and NASA lead negotiator with Russia on space station requirements, plans, and strategies. From 2007 – 2015, he served as manager of the Orion Program which was successfully tested in space in 2014 for the first time, bringing NASA another step closer to sending astronauts to deep space destinations.

After supporting Orion, he served as deputy center director at NASA Johnson and then as the acting deputy associate administrator for the Human Explorations and Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in DC. He then served as the 12th center director at NASA Johnson where he led the agency to places it had not been before, and fought for several new initiatives to improve the overall diversity and inclusion in the space industry. A touching overview of some of his accomplishments throughout his career can be found in this Houston Chronicle article at https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/space/article/Mark-Geyer-former-director-of-NASA-s-Johnson-16682950.php

Outside of work, Mark focused on supporting his family by being part of the many activities and clubs that his three kids took part in as they grew up. As a devout member of the Clear Lake Presbyterian Church, he took part supporting several youth mission trips and local outreach events. Over the past few years, he also attended many of the anti-racism related bible studies and discussion groups held by the church, again feeling passionate about improving diversity and inclusion in all walks of life.

A big love of Mark’s involved following his favorite sports teams, regardless of their records. He was given the opportunity to throw the first pitch at a St. Louis Cardinals game in 2015 – that did go over the plate. His Arizona Cardinals brought him a lot of excitement and hope this year, as they continue to lead the NFL. While Purdue sports may have brought him the most “pain”, the fact that Purdue’s Men’s Basketball team received their first #1 ranking ever, right before his passing, was a source of pride and joy for him.

He is survived by his wife Jackie, children Samantha, Russell, and Andrew, son-in-law Alex Berno, brother Ron Geyer and family, sister Mary Hand and family, and sister Sue Seiker and family.

A celebration of life service for Mark will be held Saturday, December 11, 2021 at 2pm CST in Clear Lake Presbyterian Church (1511 El Dorado Blvd., Houston, TX 77062). It is encouraged for those to join to wear red, per Mark’s request. It will also be live-streamed on CLPC’s youtube account: CLPCtube. A tree dedication will also be held in the coming months at NASA Johnson Space Center’s memorial grove.

In lieu of flowers, Mark asked for those interested to donate to the Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research (http://lustgarten.org) or the National Brain Tumor Society (http://braintumor.org).