Mark William Warner

He was born May 29th, 1974, in Falls Church, Virginia, the son of the late Mark V. Warner and Sharon A. ‘Sam’ Warner, and was known by many as ‘Marcus’.

He is survived by his mother, Sharon A. ‘Sam’ Warner, his sister, Ann M. (Warner) Whelan (Joseph Whelan Jr., LTC Ret.) and many loving aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.

Son, brother, uncle, cousin, friend. He loved his family and friends deeply, and was loved by them.

Mark attended Vanderbilt University and held a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Florida with a concentration in Chemistry, and was formerly employed by the University of Florida Department of Science.

He was a man of abiding faith, even in the face of adversity. His warmth, curiosity, and inquisitiveness remained steadfast.

Well-read, and always conversant on events of the day, Mark possessed an exceedingly quick wit and a wise-cracking sense of humor, with a knack for comedic timing and pithy quotes. He could quote Aristotle and classic movies with equal ease.

With an exceptionally inquisitive mind, and an abiding sense of awe, wonder, and whimsy, he wore his knowledge lightly and was always eager to teach.

Gentle-natured and good-hearted, he was instinctively and spontaneously kind to animals and small children; he possessed a wisdom and depth that belied his years.

He was a deeply empathetic soul who could instinctively relate to those struggling or in need, and gave of himself to others without hesitation and, often, without regard for his own well-being. His reflexive generosity was remarkable, and his strength encouraged others.

(He would have wanted you to stop reading momentarily at this point and go get a coffee, look up at the stars, or listen to your favorite song…and if there happened to be an animal of *any* kind nearby right now this is where he would have stopped to feed it :)

His love of animals and, especially, the ocean, was infectious and sparked a joy that inspired those around him to share his excitement. Fishing, scuba-diving, or simply being near the water was his ‘happy place’. He earned his PADI Open Water Diving certification as a teenager and used it to explore shipwrecks such as the Kittiwake in the Cayman Islands. (He would have wanted us all to know the difference between a kittiwake (bird) and a seagull. [Note: It is size and wing color, apparently ]).

His sense of humor and love for all things science-related was truly inspiring.

He was an ‘80s kid’ growing up in Satellite Beach, Florida, and as a child he loved making model rockets, music, and the freedom that came with riding bikes with his sister until well past sunset; dreaming of the stars with her in the shadow of the Space Shuttle launches. He also attended Space Camp, spent many joyful days playing baseball and soccer, and loved to water ski and snow ski.

Music was a big part of his life, and a passion that persisted. He played the guitar and drew inspiration from artists of many genres. Mark Knopfler, Eric Clapton, Pink Floyd, U2, Sinead O’Connor, and Mary Gaultier were respected favorites.

He loved following baseball, often attending Washington Nationals games. He had an appreciation for the finer things, a palate for gourmet foods, and enjoyed cooking. Occasionally--if we were exceedingly lucky--he would bake. We will dearly miss seeing him in the kitchen making espresso or his Grandfather Poppa’s favorite lasagna recipe. His New York style cheesecake was legendary.

He is, and will forever be, greatly missed in ways both large and small.

The memory of his life, and the lessons his life taught all of us, will forever be a source of abiding inspiration. The love and kindnesses he showed each of us, and all of God’s creatures, will forever reverberate in this world and the next.

He would want us to BE KIND. To ourselves, and to each other. To take the time to look up at the stars and out at the ocean, with awe and wonder; to laugh, to listen to the music—and to feed the animals .

We love you, Marcus.

Always and forever.

Until we see you again on that glorious day in God’s presence…

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‘I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.’

-2 Timothy 4:7

In lieu of flowers, the family invite you to kindly consider a memorial donation to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA):

https://secure.aspca.org/donate/ps-memory-sl-p1