Marcus Alexander Mamourian

Marcus Mamourian led a life full of love and ambition. Love for his family and his many friends; and an ambitious appetite that drove him on a never-ending quest for knowledge, expertise, and a deep understanding of faith. His thirst for adventure was unquenchable, which led him to extraordinary experiences and accomplishments, and though he had numerous pursuits and interests, he never did any of them halfway.

Marcus graduated from Brown University summa cum laude, majoring in Comparative Literature and German. He was awarded the Adolf Conrad Ely Award for excellence in German and the Rosalie Colie Award for best thesis in Comparative Literature. Marcus was president of the German club, and founder of the Orthodox Student fellowship, editor of the College Hill Independent and a member of Delta Phi Alpha German Honor Society. During one summer in college, returning from a semester abroad, Marcus fulfilled a dream by venturing to the Monastery at St. Athos in Greece. He quickly became so beloved by the monks that they allowed him an extended stay rather than the strict three-day limit and were saddened to see him go when his parents reeled him back home after a month. That was Marcus. His soul and his heart were simply beautiful.

After college Marcus was awarded an opportunity to attain his master’s degree in Comparative Literature at Dartmouth College, where he was the recipient of the Leslie Center Research Grant and the Sayles Research Grant. While at Dartmouth, he interned at the ACLU in New Hampshire doing work on prison reform. Following graduation, he furthered his studies as a Fulbright Scholar in Berlin where he focused his research on the archives of Friedrich Kittler, a 20th century German Philosopher.

After completing his Fulbright, Marcus took a position at St. Paul’s School, an elite boarding school in New Hampshire, where he taught German and assisted with coaching the basketball team. Somehow, during those years after college he also found time to edit a magazine, wrote copy for the Museum of Modern Art, and hosted a radio show.

He took a short break from academia to spend time at a Russian monastery in Virginia, and then spend a summer in Maine where he worked at Smithereen Farm, a nonprofit organic oceanside farm, initially to write grants but eventually taking on everything from roofing to oyster harvesting. While there, he began to study for the law school entrance exams and subsequently completed his applications, before taking a position in finance at Three Bridges Financial Services in NYC. He recently was accepted into Duke Law School, to begin in August.

What this list of accomplishments does not tell is the tale of the heart and spirit of Marcus. He was truly a deep and loving friend to many, full of tremendous joy, insight, ridiculous humor, and an unquenchable thirst to experience life’s adventures. He adored his sisters, taking great pleasure in their happiness, and he was deeply honored to recently become the Godfather to his nephew, Nazareth Mamourian Thompson.  He was extraordinarily well read, loved French film, rare books, his 20-year-old Ford Ranger truck, and nature. He could recall every punch line in every Seinfeld episode, and he was hard to argue with since he just knew more about almost everything. Marcus was equally as comfortable dressed in workwear, digging in the garden, as he was dressed in a slim fit suit, ready for an event. At the end of the day, Marcus would most like to be remembered as a wildly devoted friend, a respected scholar and intellectual, a loving brother and son, and an intensely faithful child of God.

Friends and family are welcome to attend his visitation on Monday, 5-23-2022, from 10 to 11:30am at St. Sahag and St. Mesrob Armenian Apostolic Church, 630 Clothier Rd. Wynnewood, PA 19096.His funeral service will follow at 11:30.  His interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in his name to St. Sahag and St. Mesrob Armenian Apostolic church.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Marcus Alexander Mamourian, please visit our floral store.