In Memory

Mark McAdams - Class Of 1967

Mark McAdams

Dr. Mark McAdams, 69, previously of Castro Valley passed away Dec. 7, 2018 in Reno, NV after a long illness.

 Born July 31, 1949, in Chelsea, MA the son of a naval officer, Mark grew up in Massachusetts, Virginia, Washington DC, Vallejo, and France. Following his 1967 graduation from Paris American High School in France, Mark and his family moved back to Vallejo. He attended Solano Community College which was then located in Vallejo. Mark transferred to San Diego State University, and after one year of study, transferred into the optometry program at University of California at Berkeley where he graduated with a Doctor of Optometry Degree in 1974.

Mark was a proud UCB alumnus, often attending Cal Bear football games with friends. After graduating, Mark worked to improve the sight of low-vision patients at Peninsula Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired of Palo Alto. At this same time, Mark also worked at UC Berkeley School of Optometry mentoring students. He then worked in the ophthalmology practice of Dr. Charles Ritchie in Hayward and the optometry practice of Dr. Robert Edelman in Castro Valley before purchasing his own optometry practice in Dublin from his UC Berkeley professor and mentor, Dr. Milton Levin. It brought him much joy to improve the vision of his many patients and watch their families grow until his retirement in 2014.

Mark enjoyed collecting antiques and traveling the world with friends. His travels led to his love of Asian culture and cuisine. Always witty, thoughtful, and generous, Mark entertained many with personal stories and spoiled family and friends with items sourced from his travels and local shopping ventures.

Mark followed his brother Jeffrey to Sparks, NV in September, 2017 to live in a senior community near their sisters and touched many care staff and residents with his humorous and vibrant personality.

He was preceded in death by his mother, Gloria Kathryn McAdams (nee Bragg); father, Commander John Kenneth McAdams, USN; and brother, Dr. Jeffrey Kent McAdams DDS (Aug. 26, 2018). He is dearly missed by longtime companion, Arlene Costa; sisters, Marily Mora and Kristin Kwitek; and brother-in-law, Martin Kwitek. He also leaves behind nieces and nephews, Jessica Fowler (Rick), Katelin Mora, Kenneth Kwitek (Jenny), and Mitchell Kwitek; his aunts, Gloria A. Bragg and Jean Pereira, and several cousins.

A memorial mass for both Mark and his brother, Dr. Jeffrey McAdams, will be held at 11 a.m., Saturday, April 27, at St. Peter's Chapel, Mare Island.

 

Thank you, David Dunn, PAHS'67.

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