Mark Charles Rawson
October 12, 1961 to December 9, 2014
Mark Charles Rawson passed away on Dec. 9, 2014 after a short illness at the age of 53. He resided in Felton, where he lived and worked for 32 years.
He was born in Iowa on Oct. 12, 1961 to parents Bill and Shirley Rawson. He was raised in Boise, Idaho, where he graduated high school.
He attended Oregon Institute of Technology and graduated with an associate degree in electronics.
He moved to the San Lorenzo Valley in 1982 and began work at the Lockheed Martin Santa Cruz Facility as an electronic technician.
Mark was a rocket scientist of sorts with his expertise in vibration and dynamics testing. He worked on many projects over the years, including THAAD development and Orion most recently.
He had many hobbies, including woodworking, fabricating custom tools, tinkering with his solar system, and working on his Toyota pickup.
He built a workshop and enjoyed using his tools and working with his hands. He loved throwing horseshoes on a sunny Sunday afternoon with friends while listening to the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin.
He was a mountain climber and once scaled Mount Shasta. He loved the Black Rock Desert in Nevada and would make an annual trip there to camp, 4-wheel, and have fun with family and friends. On occasion, he would come back with the first-place trophy he had won for the horseshoe tournament they would have.
He was a kind man with a warm heart who would help his neighbors with their projects when they would get in a bind.
He will be greatly missed by his friends and co-workers. He is survived by his mother Shirley Case, and his brothers, Bill Jr. and Dean Rawson. He was preceded in death by his father, Bill. No local services are planned.
