It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Thomas Mark Stamm, 76, of Potomac, MD. Mark passed away at his home on September 10th, 2024 after a courageous battle with pneumonia. He was surrounded by family and loved ones.
Mark was born in Chicago, Illinois on March 11th, 1948 to Dr. Thomas James Stamm & Katheryn H Stamm. Mark grew up in Elmwood Park, IL, and attended St. Vincent Ferrer for grade school & middle school. In 1966 he graduated from Saint Ignatius College Prep, a Jesuit Catholic high school in the heart of Chicago, where he was a National Merit Scholar. Mark went on to earn his Bachelor’s Degree at Georgetown University.
While a student at Georgetown, Mark started to work at Clyde’s on M Street in Georgetown. As a bartender, he was known as “the star of the show.” Through his efforts and talent while working at Clyde’s, Mark helped to secure Clyde’s reputation as an establishment steeped in history and tradition.
In 1970, Mark married Alicia B. Dunn, and they had one son (John Charles). They divorced in 1975. With the income he earned at Clyde’s, Mark was able to pay his tuition at Georgetown, his wife’s tuition at American University, and sent his young son to preschool at Georgetown Day School.
In the mid-1970s, Mark entered the mortgage business, continuing to tend bar at Clyde’s while establishing himself in the mortgage industry during the day. Early in his career, he built referral relationships and studied the detailed underwriting guidelines of every mortgage program regardless of its complexity. His hard work made Mark the highest producing mortgage loan officer in the Washington DC area as he helped a plethora families attain the American dream through homeownership.
Mark went on to manage and own mortgage companies such as Guarantee Mortgage and Greater Atlantic Bank, mentoring a myriad of people in the mortgage business. He loved helping to develop good people and seeing them thrive.
Mark was a generous philanthropist. He was highly supportive of Catholic education and the Arts, funding the education of several students at the Washington Jesuit Academy & the Chicago Jesuit Academy. He supported his alma maters: Georgetown University & Saint Ignatius College Prep. He also supported Loyola University Chicago as well as several Catholic Churches & organizations. He was a benefactor of the Kennedy Center & the Smithson Institution where he was on the Washington Committee of the Arts. Furthermore, Mark believed in America. He was a strong proponent of Liberty & the United States Constitution. He supported the Cato institute, the Heritage Foundation, the Federalist Society, the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, and Hillsdale College.
Moreover, Mark loved dogs. He rescued over a dozen dogs and supported several dog rescue organizations including the Animal Rescue League & the Washington Humane Society.
Mark is survived by his son, John Charles Stamm, and his 3 grandchildren, Katheryn Stamm, John Charles Stamm II & Cecilia Grace Stamm. Mark is also survived by his six dogs, Cinco (the Chairman) , Zoro (the Alpha), Buca (manager of Squeaky Toys), Alex (the Evil Puppy), Benson (the Best Looking Dog) & Winston (Stinky).
He also went by T. Mark and sometimes Markie. T. Mark was a world traveler, a heavy hitter, and a suaviagous guy. (swav-e-‘ah-ges\ adj: of extreme suaveness). He was a good guy, and he will be missed.
Services will be held at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Georgetown on Friday, November 15th, 2024 at 10:30 am.
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