Mark Allan Lochbaum

Mark Allan Lochbaum, 68, passed away Sunday, August 11, 2024, following a prolonged battle with cancer. He is survived by his two children – James (Rojina) Lochbaum and Anna Lochbaum Matheney (Matthew); grandchildren – Aasha and Rosa Lochbaum; father - Ron, and his two brothers – Steve (Cindy) and Andy. He is predeceased by his mother, Alice Jane Frashure Lochbaum.

Mark was born in Clarksburg, West Virginia, and moved with the family to Pittsburgh, Muncie Indiana, and Winston-Salem North Carolina before settling in Durham in sixth grade. He graduated in 1974 with honors from Charles E. Jordan High School before being admitted and ultimately graduating from Duke University with degrees in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering. In addition to being an excellent student, Mark was an Eagle Scout and a member of both the Jordan High School symphonic and jazz bands and later, the Duke University Marching Band (often abbreviated “DUMB” which Mark thoroughly enjoyed joking about). He was briefly employed as a software engineer in New York City before moving to Kirksville, Missouri where he met and married Julie Magruder. He and Julie had two children and settled in Columbia, South Carolina where Mark worked for NCR Corporation. They enjoyed a number of happy years but ultimately ended up divorcing in the late 1990s after which Mark moved to Atlanta where he held software engineering positions with AT&T and S1. His career was cut short due to mental illness, and he moved to Greensboro, North Carolina to be with family. He incurred a significant stroke which took him over a year to recover from and left him partially paralyzed but no longer in the throes of mental illness, which was a true blessing for him and his family. His last years were spent living independently at Independence Village in Raleigh before cancer caused him to require skilled nursing, which was provided at Raleigh Rehabilitation.

Mark’s life was marked with intellectual curiosity and a generally positive outlook. He was well-liked by his friends and always willing to engage in stimulating conversations on a wide range of topics. Andy and Mark spent nearly every Sunday for years having lunch with Ron and friends at Whispering Pines, Ron’s independent living facility about 5 miles from Mark’s. Mark was nearly as well known and appreciated at Whispering Pines as at Independence Village, his own home. While he lost his ability to read over time, he was a master at cable TV, regularly recording nature, history, and technology documentaries to feed his curiosity and supplement his broad-based knowledge. He was also an avid fan of Duke University basketball and reveled in wearing Duke apparel to the UNC Cancer Center to ensure the staff knew his allegiance. Clearly, his greatest joy was seeing the success and accomplishments of James and Anna as well as the birth of the next generation – Aasha and Rosa.

He wanted to express his great appreciation for his friends at Independence Village and his nurse Tammy Cox along with the staff at Raleigh Rehabilitation, who provided superb care during the last stages of his battle with cancer. Our prayers for his peace have been answered. We will miss him, his smiling face and all of his “thanks a bunch” replies, which all around him knew as his signature salutation.

The family requests no flowers. but any contributions on Mark’s behalf should be directed to Transitions LifeCare, 250 Hospice Cir, Raleigh, NC 27607.

May he rest in peace and thanks a bunch.

The Lochbaum Family