Mark Bush

A native and lifelong resident of the area, Mark was born on April 11, 1943 in Washington DC, the only child of Jeremiah and Mildred Bush. He grew up in Cherrydale in Arlington, and later, in Falls Church. Mark attended Falls Church High School, where he wrestled and played football before majoring in business administration at the College of William and Mary.

Mark met Marsha Langston, the love of his life, in high school, and they married after graduating college in 1965. They settled in Annandale, and then Alexandria Virginia.

Mark worked as a civilian programmer and data analyst first for the Navy and subsequently for the Air Force, working primarily at the Pentagon. Mark earned certifications as data programmer. Among his programming languages was COBOL, a skill both rare and valuable in preparations for the millennium. With the Air Force, Mark worked for many years on the President’s annual budget. Mark retired in 2004.

In retirement, Mark wanted to share his love of reading, and volunteered for an organization now known as the English Empowerment Center teaching adults to read.

Mark was an active and devout member of Queen of Apostles Catholic Church. He served in several roles on the Queen of Apostles school PTO, including President. Mark also coached his boys’ soccer teams as an assistant and head coach.

Mark was an avid comic book collector since his childhood, and his extensive knowledge of superheroes, radio, television, and movies landed him the title of Pop Culture Historian, and he appeared in this role on several public access television shows.

Mark and Marsha were also founding members of the Metropolitan Washington Old Time Radio Club. In addition to being active members, they served as specialists of live sound effects for recreations of old radio programs and new written scripts by some of the members. The club has performed for the Kennedy-Warren Ballroom in DC, the National Air and Space Museum celebrating "60 Years of Fight," and the Library of Congress, both at their Culpeper site and at the DC location. They also performed several years at the Mid Atlantic Nostalgia Convention in Maryland, as well as at the Lisner Auditorium in a performance to honor Ed Walker and his radio program "The Big Broadcast '' on WAMU. Mark was consulted many times on how to make and perform live sound effects by The Little Theater of Alexandria and many other theater groups in the area.

Mark was preceded in death by his parents, and is survived by his wife Marsha, his sons Jerry Bush (Maureen) and Michael Bush (Katie), and grandchildren Will, Brian, Tommy, Emily, and Matty.

Mark’s quick wit and genuine affection for his family and friends will be greatly missed.

Visitation will be held at Murphy Funeral Home (1102 W Broad St, Falls Church) on Thursday, June 20 from 5:00-8:00pm. A Funeral Mass will be held on Friday, June 21, 2024 at Queen of Apostles Catholic Church (4401 Sano Street, Alexandria) at 10:30am, followed by Graveside Service at National Funeral Home and Memorial Park (7482 Lee Highway, Falls Church) at 1:00pm.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the English Empowerment Center, https://englishempowermentcenter.org/ or the American Heart Association, heart.org.