Born: March 4, 1984 Died: June 27, 2013 Stephen Marc, loving son of Stephen and Susan, brother of Spencer and Shelby, uncle of Landon, was a kind and gentle spirit taken from us to soon. For the past two years he has been employed by Cafe’ Rio in Burke, Virginia where he also lived. As well as working full time, he was excelling as a full time student at ECPI in Manassas, studying Network Security. He had a natural, God- given aptitude for all aspects of IT, never shying away from complex questions, approaching solutions from an unexpected angle and often with perfect clarity in finding a solution. He had many dreams and concrete plans for a long and fulfilling life that were, unfortunately, never to be achieved. However, it should be noted that he had many accomplishments in his short tenure here on earth and wherever he went he made friends with his warm smile, twinkling blue eyes, and quick wit. Stephen Marc attended St. James Catholic School where he made life-long friends from kindergarten through eighth grade. Some of his fondest memories were associated with the adventures he had in Cub and Boy Scouts, where he proudly achieved the rank of Eagle Scout; also, as a member of the Order of the Arrow. Twelve years of camping, hiking, biking, canoeing (Appalachian trail, Adirondacks, Canada, Maryland, Arizona) and 12 years of soccer were among his passions—when he was outdoors, he was home. Some would say his look was mountain man; while others described him as “Jesus”. To those who knew him best, he was a unique hybrid, a Renaissance man. His compassion and his kindness to others were unparalleled; he gave all he had to those in need. A sign of his kindness was his wish to ultimately help others after he left his body – his wish is being granted by having his long, proud locks donated to Locks of Love – enough to help several children in their time of need. A new and delightful enthusiasm was found in the culinary arts. He invented many recipes as well as wanting to preserve family and ethnic concoctions. He found joy in sharing his creations with others, and was happy in the kitchen. Being slim meant he could eat anything he wanted and he often did. He enjoyed food and the fellowship it provided. Like his mother, he rarely followed a recipe; preferring instead to create unique dishes; some of which he shared with Café Rio. Reading was a life-long passion of his. Again, there was not a specific theme or genre he favored – history, science fiction, religion, humor, and mystery. So many times he would be reading multiple books at once and he was able to keep the threads of each separate. He took delight in visual arts but found music and rhythm to be of great pleasure. Whether it was classical music, yes few knew, or drum circles, reggae, or even bluegrass, oldies and rock; he loved it all. To Stephen Marc, it was life’s journey and helping that drove him. He was an avid conservationist. Almost to the extreme, he recycled (or planned to) EVERYTHING! His clothing had patches even though he had replacements; preferring comfort to style. One of his favorite activities was “thrift-shopping” taking great joy in the hunt and find. He collected hundreds of computer parts that he “scavenged” and repaired and was always delighted in sharing them with others. Along with his parents, brother, sister, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, and co-workers, as well as casual acquaintances, he will surely be missed. He has taken his passion for life to heaven where he is surrounded by family and friends that preceded him and is wrapped in the comforting arms of his heavenly Father. May he find peace and rest until we meet again. A Memorial Mass will be offered at St. James Catholic Church, 103 N. Spring St., Falls Church, Va on Saturday, July 6 at 10:00am In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations in his memory be made to Boy Scouts of America Troop 681, Falls Church, VA 22046, or his gift registry at Heifer International.