Mark Alan Roberts - Obituary

ark Alan Roberts, 57, passed away unexpectedly on June 11, 2024 at his home in Cape St. Claire, MD, from natural causes. Mark was the cherished husband of wife, Christy, and the endlessly proud father of Kathryn (26) and Henry (24). Mark was born on November 20, 1966 in Washington DC - the baby of six - to Martha Avanelle and Reginald Harley Roberts, both of whom have predeceased him. He grew up in Franconia, VA, where he attended Thomas A. Edison High School. Four years later in 1988, he graduated from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University with a BS in Aerospace Engineering and was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. Go Hokies. Mark’s career in the aerospace industry began as an engineer at Goddard Space Flight Center where he met his future wife, Christy, working for Computer Sciences Corporation. Over the next several years, he went on to work for McDonnell Douglas, Swales Aerospace, and as a NASA civil servant supporting the Launch Services Program. He and Christy married in 1993 in Conway, SC. In 1997, Mark and Christy took a leap of faith when he went to work as a founding stakeholder in ai solutions, an aerospace startup company. He worked tirelessly for 25 years growing and nurturing the company he loved and mentoring countless employees and colleagues in his role as Executive Vice President. The remarkable success of ai solutions was due in large part to the work ethic, integrity, and relationships Mark brought to his work. Meanwhile, he also nurtured and loved Christy, his wife of 30 years, and their two children Kathryn and Henry, both now aerospace engineers in their own right, carrying on his formidable legacy in the space industry. As a family, they fished on the Chesapeake, traveled to marvelous foreign places, cheered at soccer matches, loved their Great Danes, rode many rollercoasters, enjoyed their vacation home near relatives in Fenwick Island, DE, attended VA Tech football games, and watched rockets launch on the Space Coast in Florida. Mark provided a fairytale life for his family and was happiest in their company. The impact Mark had on the people in his orbit can’t be overstated. The prevailing sentiment from those who knew and worked with him is that he made them better at what they did and who they were. At the core, he was a “people person”. He will be greatly missed and fondly remembered by so many. Mark is survived by his wife, Christy; children, Kathryn and Henry; siblings Reggie, John, Glenn, Martha and Karen; many dear nieces and nephews; some boisterous great-nieces and nephews; his Great Dane, Phoebe, and his Aussie, Theia. His family plans to begin celebrating his life over the next year through a variety of gatherings at the places he most loved. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (Attn: Membership Department, 6 Herndon Avenue, Annapolis, MD 21403 or online here) or the Mid-Atlantic Great Dane Rescue League, Inc. (PO Box 141, Pine Beach, NJ 08741 or online here).