MARK BENJAMIN ROBERTS
1984-2016
Mark Benjamin Roberts entered into God’s loving arms on February 11, 2016 after a 10-year struggle with auto-immune diseases. Mark was born to Diane Cody Roberts and Ben Lloyd Roberts on April 15, 1984, his Grandmother Barney’s birthday. Fifteen months later, Mark became the loving and adored big brother to sister, Kathleen. Mark was Kathleen’s superhero, her partner in goofiness, her protector, and her cherished confidant.
Mark was an incredibly smart, focused and funloving guy. To keep Mark engaged, his first grade teacher introduced him to computer programs and Mark’s life-long passion for software programming was born. Mark loved to read and excelled at math, but he was much more than a bookworm. He enjoyed tennis and Boy Scouts, attaining the rank of Eagle Scout. Mark’s childhood was filled with running back and forth to Lance and Matthew Gilliam’s house, and they loved their summers at Camp Stewart, especially when Austin Davis joined them. Another annual highlight was the Cody family reunion week spent in Florida. Mark was the ringleader of a gaggle of younger boy cousins generating gales of laughter when Mark’s joking, playful personality engaged them.
Mark built his first computer when he was in grade school and continued to build his technical expertise in middle school. His ability to explain technology to others was one of his primary talents. Mark’s interests outside computers continued to flourish, and he added a passion for history in middle school. A favorite seventh grade history assignment about The Cherokee Trail of Tears advanced Mark and Will Paton to the Regional Competition. Patrick Johnson joined Mark and Will to form “Team Radar” for an eighth grade project that progressed all the way to State.
When he wasn’t on his laptop programming for Golf Team Stats in high school, Mark loved acting in Bradley Jackson’s original movies and playing on the Memorial High School tennis team. When Mark was elected to be a MHS cheerleader his senior year, he was so thrilled he ran all the way home to tell his parents, missing the team photo for the school newspaper. Mark was known for being well-liked by the full gamut of groups in high school. His senior year he was voted “The Most Likely to be the Next Mr. Rogers,” as he was a gentleman and a kind person.
Mark’s strong academic record earned him National Merit Scholar and Valedictorian titles, resulting in a 4-year merit scholarship at Vanderbilt University. Mark’s college years were marked by a blend of academic and social activities with his East Coast buddy, Drew Donnelly. Mark became a Founding Father of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity and served as Social VP (not a role often held by a “techie”). His junior year he was a Resident Advisor on a floor of Vandy football players, successfully managing freshman athletes twice his size. In 2007, Mark was elected one of the Top 20 Vanderbilt Seniors for his academics and leadership.
His college years coincided with the advancement of Mark’s struggle with his diagnosed auto-immune issues. Though Mark sometimes felt compromised in college, he immersed himself in summer internships at IBM and Hewlett-Packard. Before his senior year, he jumped at the chance to work as Microsoft intern.
Mark moved to Seattle after Vanderbilt graduation as a Microsoft Program Manager using both his technical and management skills. While he excelled in that role, Mark wanted a more technical position and landed a job as a Visual Studio Software Development Engineer. He loved solving the coding challenges and reveled in these endeavors which fulfilled his lifelong dream to create excellent software at a top tech company.
As his symptoms advanced, Mark immersed himself into researching possible treatment combinations. He shared the extent of his pain only with his parents and sister. Mark is now at peace and healed by God.
In addition to his parents and sister, Mark is survived by his grandmother, Marilyn Cody (“Barney”), aunts and uncles, Gatha and Neil Singleton, Rick and June Cody, David and Randa Cody, Lauren and Dave Murphy, and first cousins, Glen and Gloria Singleton, Gary and Jamie Singleton, Judd and Amanda Carothers, Josh and Jodi Carothers, Megan and Josh Barnard, Taylor and Blake Shaver, Baylor Cody, Carson Cody, Carl and Mamie Murphy, Griffin Cody, Scott Murphy and a host of friends.
A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 3:00 PM on Friday, February 19, 2016, at Chapelwood United Methodist Church, 11140 Greenbay Street, Houston, TX 77024. Officiating are Rev. Dr. John Stephens and Dr. Jim Jackson.
For those wishing to make a donation in Mark’s memory, his family suggests Crohns & Colitis Foundation (www. ccfa.org); Sjogrens Syndrome Foundation (www.sjogrens. org); Chapelwood Foundation (www.chapelwood.org); Boy Scouts of America (www. scouting.org).