Mark Crowell's Obituary
Mark Crowell of Ashburn, Virginia, died at age 61, after waging a courageous 10-month battle with brain cancer. His beloved and devoted wife, Sheryl, cherished son, Mark, and dedicated sister, Carmen, were by his side.
Mark is survived by his wife, Sheryl Lyons Crowell, of Ashburn, VA; his son, Mark Layfield Crowell, of New York City, NY; his stepdaughter, Taylor Asbell, of Ashburn, VA; his siblings, Carmen Brewer and her husband, Frank, of MD, James Crowell and his wife, Irma, of NJ, Lee Crowell, of PA, and Emily Hannan and her husband, Thomas, of NJ; his mother-in-law, Arlene Lyons, and father-in-law, Paul Lyons, of MA; his sisters-in-law, Crystal Lyons and her dear friend, Jamie Ryan, Sandra Ganguly and her husband, Promeet, and Jennifer Bloch and her husband, David, all of MA; his brother-in-law, Russell Lyons and his wife, Roselyn, of SC; nieces Melissa Gentzler, Lea Gelman, Amanda Deshpande, Bonnie Baratta, Alexandra Brewer, Taylor Hannan, Makaila, Lynzie, Kelsie, and Avril Lyons, Kiaralyn Ryan, and Sarina Ganguly; nephews Davis, Gregory, and Jeffrey Crowell, Cristian Guillermo, and Dalton, Garrett, Jake, and Drake Lyons; and numerous great nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his mother, Jean Petley Crowell, and his father, Layfield Crowell, both of NJ.
Mark was born on February 13, 1959, in Dover, NJ. He was raised in Rockaway Township, NJ, and graduated from Morris Knolls High School in Denville, NJ. Mark went on to earn his bachelor’s degree in geology from the University of Maryland and his master’s degree in geology (invertebrate paleontology) from Virginia Polytechnic Institute. Upon graduation, Mark began his lifelong career as a geologist with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, where he remained until his recent retirement.
Mark can best be described as a true Renaissance man with a lifelong quest for and fascination with knowledge, starting with his early enthrallment with his family’s set of encyclopedias and multi-colored plastic dinosaurs. He went on later in life to discover numerous artifacts and fossils—including fossilized dinosaur bones—while on assorted archeological and paleontological digs, create and publish crossword puzzles, illustrate Maryland’s state dinosaur, write poetry and science fiction, publish peer-reviewed scholarly articles, acquire a vast knowledge of film and vintage television, sketch and paint with charcoal, water colors, and pastels, and cook all things spicy. An avid and adept Scrabble player and a force-to-be-reckoned-with poker player, Mark was an enthusiastic and a good-natured competitor. Besides these interests and so many more, Mark loved politics, astronomy, the Beatles, wineries, and searching for and finding wild paw paw trees growing throughout the Maryland and Virginia countryside. Most of all, he enjoyed sharing all of these things with his family and friends. Mark was a kind, gentle, and loving man, made happiest by time spent with his adored wife, Sheryl, and much-loved son, Mark. He will be profoundly missed.
Due to the restrictions of Covid 19, in-person attendance at Mark’s memorial service will be by invitation only; however, all are invited to attend this service virtually, on Saturday, November 14, at noon. Please visit the Loudoun Funeral Chapel and Crematory website (https://www.loudounfuneralchapel.com) for more details. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Glioblastoma Foundation (https://glioblastomafoundation.org/get-involved/donate) in Mark’s name are appreciated.
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