Mark Francis Dever

Mark Dever passed away on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, after a brief period of declining health. Mark was born in Quincy, MA, on September 16, 1968, thereby complicating—and he would say enhancing beyond measure—the life of his older sister, Carolyn. As a teenager, Mark developed passions for politics and justice, civil liberties, and civil rights. He followed these passions first to Boston College for a degree in political science (1990), and then to Duke University for law school (1993). Mark’s professional life unfolded in Washington DC, most recently as a partner and head of the Communications Practice at Squire Patton Boggs. His great dream as a small child was to work as a telephone man, and happily for Mark it was a dream realized; you may have Mark to thank for the roomy bandwidth your cell phone and other wireless technologies enjoy.

Mark was a good dad. He loved his daughter, Amber, and his son, Sam, with all his heart, sharing with them his love of baseball and basketball particularly as realized by the Boston Red Sox and the Boston Celtics. Mark was so proud of Amber’s dedication as a social worker, and her love for her husband Joben, son Seth, and wide circle of friends. Mark had such admiration for Sam, for the enthusiasm he brought to all sports, his love for his friends, school, cats—for his whole community.

Mark and his spouse Valérie lived a life among good friends and family, with good coffee, food, and wine, in DC and in Belgium and, whenever possible, in Nantucket. To spend time with Mark was to enjoy a soundtrack of 70s pop tunes sung by him, often superimposed over NPR. Family holidays in Belgium, France, and Italy brought Mark, Valérie, and Sam together with Carolyn, Paul, and Noah on many occasions, investing in the hope that Sam and Noah would enjoy a shared childhood as much as possible. Mark loved his extended family dearly. He was his small cousins’ favorite big cousin, and he made a special effort to connect with his grandfather, Francis J. Dever, in the years leading up to Pops’s passing in 2007. Mark opened a dedicated bank account while in law school, with the sole purpose of being present in Fenway Park when the Red Sox finally broke the World Series drought that began the year Pops was born. Mark had a seat on the first-base line for Game One, on October 27, 2004, and celebrated the subsequent Red Sox sweep with Pops.

Mark is survived by his wife, Valérie Kindt, and their son, Samuel Kindt Dever, and by his daughter Amber Lewis, her husband Josiah, and their son Seth. Mark’s mom, Diane Dever, and his sister Carolyn were so glad for their time with him during his last few days. His brother-in-law, Paul Young, and nephew, Noah Dever Young, shared truly special bonds with Mark, largely if not exclusively expressed through citations from the films Airplane! (1980) and National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983). Mark was surrounded by the great love of his many aunts, uncles, and cousins, and by dear friends from high school, college, law school, and life.

Mark was pre-deceased by his father, Francis J. Dever, Jr., in 2020, and by his mother, Kristine Dever, in 2015. Our family would be grateful if those who wish to honor Mark would contribute in his name to the ACLU ([email protected]) or NPR (https://donate.wamu.org/page/75243/donate/1?ea.tracking.id=homepage).