Mark Bourn

John Mark Bourn, age 68, transitioned from his earthly life to his heavenly one surrounded by his loving family on September 16, 2023. His intelligence, wit, and genuine interest in those who knew him will be truly missed and treasured.

He is survived by his wife of 44 years, Cheryl Self Bourn; son, John Patrick Bourn, and his wife, Angela Shears Bourn; sister, Teri Absher (Eddie); brother, Jeff Bourn (Phyllis); sister-in-law, Cindy Self Bailey (Jerry); and, nephews, nieces, and cousins.

He was preceded in death by his parents, John Wesley Bourn, Jr. and Margaret Christy Morrison Brown, and brother-in-law, Mark D. Self.

Mark attended Birmingham City Schools and graduated from the University of Alabama in finance. He made life-long friends in the Mallet Assembly, the men’s honors dorm in Byrd Hall.

Mark and Cheryl married after they completed college. Their son Patrick was a constant joy and friend in his life, as was Angela, Patrick’s wife. His family was always so important to him, and he spent much of his life showing them that. The family made their home in Homewood, where they were blessed to be in a loving neighborhood and supportive community.

Mark spent the majority of his banking career in Cash Management (aka Treasury Management Services). He formed many relationships that were so dear to him.

He began his 28-year career with First Alabama Bancshares (later Regions) in 1980 in charge cards and then with Deposit Acquisitions.

By 1984, he took over the fledgling Cash Management Department and with the help of talented individuals in the bank, grew that department into a major area providing much needed and demanded products for their commercial customers. In the early years, his team had to design and implement products.

In 2008 Mark joined Treasury Management Services at Whitney Bank in New Orleans initially as Sales Manager, then transferred to Head of Product Management. He helped them grow products and streamline some of their processes, such as vendor selections and project management. Whitney merged with Hancock Bank and his experiences with past mergers proved invaluable. Post-merger reorganization, Mark was promoted to Director of Treasury Management Services & International.

In 2016 family circumstances necessitated a move back home. He took a position as the Director of TMS Products for Iberia Bank, which was headquartered in Homewood.

He retired from full-time banking in 2019. He then worked part-time doing special projects for TMS at Renasant Bank in 2020.

Mark spent his entire 40-year career in banking in an era of banking deregulation, which allowed banks to expand their footprints and merge with other banks.

The family has had requests about memorial donations. Some suggestions include the Salvation Army shoe program, The Carter Center in Atlanta, Trinity United Methodist Church food outreach, or an organization dear to your heart.

Please join us for a celebration of Mark’s life on Saturday, October 14th from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. at Ridout’s Valley Chapel, 1800 Oxmoor Road, Homewood, AL 35209. There will be a time for sharing a favorite memory during the celebration, which will start at 2 p.m. Informal visitation will follow the celebration. For those who cannot attend in person, we invite you to join the celebration via livestream: The livestream may be viewed at https://youtube.com/live/BAwxOAfGSWY?feature=share

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.ridoutsvalleychapel.com for the Bourn family.