A Mother's Remembrance
The world lost a brilliant, thoughtful person when "Markie" died on August 15, 2015 after a short but intense battle with an aggressive prostate cancer.
He was born in St. Francis Hospital in Wilmington, DE and lived briefly in Fairwinds and Maple Square Trailer Parks before moving to Bear, where he spent his childhood. He attended Middletown schools and the University of Delaware.
After graduation he moved to Maryland where he worked for several start-up companies, as well as the National Institutes of Health (NIH). He was part of the Zeno Project which put an experiment on the Space Shuttle and allowed him to be part of a Space Shuttle launch. He installed computer systems on one of Craig Venter's boats. His last job was as a build manager and programmer for the Hubble Telescope and James Webb Space Telescope.
He could carry on a conversation about almost anything and had a quirky sense of humor. He liked to read, enjoyed science, sailing and ham radio.
He is survived by his wife of 21 years, Carolyn Ratley Sienkiewicz of Halethorpe, MD; his parents, Mark John, Sr. and Mary Lou MacLean Sienkiewicz of Bear, DE; one brother and sister-in-law, Matthew George and Anna and their sons, Joseph Charles and Jacob Mark Sienkiewicz of Sparks, MD; maternal aunt and uncle, Bernard and Doris Marie MacLean Pomidor of Pottstown, PA; paternal aunt and uncles Robert and Susan Sienkiewicz Malesic of Harrisburg, PA; James Sienkiewicz of Shamokin, PA; Nelma Drumheller Sienkiewicz; and many good friends who helped him through his last days.
He was predeceased by his grandparents, George Lemuel and Theresa Yasisko MacLean and Jerome and Meta Lesher Sienkiewicz, as well as a step-grandmother, Nellie Niedzwiecki Sienkiewicz. He was also predeceased by paternal uncles and aunts-in-law, Leon and Julia Chichilla Sienkiewicz, Henry and Betty Sienkiewicz, John and Gertrude Fukaczewski Sienkiewicz, Gerald and Mary Fukaczewski Sienkiewicz, Thomas Sienkiewicz, James Sienkiewicz and Raymond Sienkiewicz.
He loved sailing. From 2003 to 2010 he and his wife lived aboard their sailboat, COOT. In the middle of that time they took three years off of work and cruised the Chesapeake Bay and up and down the East Coast.
Friends and co-workers will remember him as patient and kind. One co-worker remembered that she could ask a stupid question and he never treated it as a stupid question, or treated her as stupid, but was always helpful.
Mary Lou Sienkiewicz
