Mr. Mark C. Nunez died April 5, 2022, at home after a three-and-a-half-year battle with glioblastoma grade 4 brain cancer. He was 55.
He was the beloved husband of Katie H. Nunez, whom he met in New Orleans in 1990 while she was attending Loyola University and he was graduating from his beloved Louisiana State University (LSU) – Geaux Tigers!
Mark was born Jan. 17, 1967, in Violet, La., the son of the late Adam L. Nunez and Sandra Nunez. He graduated from Holy Cross High School of New Orleans in 1985. He obtained a degree in business administration from LSU in Baton Rouge, La., in 1990.
Mark was filled with immense interest in the world, including sports, science, gardening, astronomy, and world history. His vegetable garden and beehives were marvelous and brought him much joy in caring for them. As a true Louisiana boy, he was completely passionate about all spicy food things. He was an avid and enthusiastic animal advocate and raised four dogs and one cat who predeceased him (Skywalker, Willie, Otto, Dodger, and Puss Puss) and leaves behind three dogs and three cats (Peanut, Herschel, and Jakes; and Wynken, Blynken, and Nod) to comfort his beloved wife.
Following college, he lived in Massachusetts and was fortunate to find work with Poland Springs, a division of Nestle North American Waters. When he moved to the Eastern Shore of Virginia in 2005 due to his wife’s career, he was able to transfer within his company and work for Deer Park, their bottled water division in the mid-Atlantic region.
He found a true home in Cape Charles and a spiritual community in the St. Charles Catholic Church. He discovered a place of purpose and leadership in the Cape Charles Knights of Columbus Council #14263, serving as the Grand Knight since 2015. He was tireless in his fundraising for the local Knights Council to help sustain the annual award of college scholarship funds for a local high schooler and supporting the Women’s Pregnancy Support Center in Onley. He was also a willing contributor to other organizations in their efforts to better the community, including Cape Charles Rotary and their quarterly road clean-ups and Salvation Army bell-ringing during the holiday season.
His true joy was the Christmas season and his annual Christmas tree was legendary, reaching new heights every year – occasionally to his wife’s initial dismay and fear of it toppling over – as it was laden with the ornaments and decorations collected over the years to commemorate the significant milestones that occurred each year that they were together.
In addition to his wife, Katie, he is survived by his mother, Sandra Nunez, and his sister, Rebecca Nunez, of Slidell, La., and her children (Sloan, Terryn, Falene, Calisto, and Dorian). He was fortunate to be married into a very large, extensive, and supportive family – his wife is the youngest of 10 children. Mark considered himself in good company with his nine in-laws, who frequently called themselves the outlaws. He and Katie immensely enjoyed their large family, including a total of 17 nieces and nephews from her side of the family. Along with his long standing friendships with his childhood friends from the New Orleans area, this extensive support system of family and friends was instrumental in helping him during his long health battle with brain cancer.
A memorial service and Celebration of Life will be conducted Friday, April 22, 2022, at 11 a.m., at the St. Charles Catholic Church, 550 Randolph Ave., Cape Charles, to be followed by a reception in the parish hall.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made to the American Brain Tumor Association, 8550 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Ste. 550, Chicago, IL 60631, or Donate to ABTA at https://give.abta.org/give/
Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.grays-funeral-home.com
