Obituary of Dr Mark Allen Edgar

Dr. Mark Allen Edgar, originally of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada died suddenly at his home in Jacksonville, FL on February 22, 2025. He was 61 years old. Mark was born on August 6, 1963 to Bob and Helen Edgar in Dartmouth Nova Scotia, Canada. He is survived by his husband and life partner of 30 years, Cristian Xander Hayes; his mother and father; and his sister, Victoria. Mark attended high school in his birth town at Prince Andrew High, where he finished at the top of his class and was selected to be the valedictorian. He was too shy to want the role and graciously passed it onto another student. Mark learned to cast horoscopes in high school and had a following of teenage girls who, according to Mark, wouldn't start their day without consulting him first. Mark started his life's work by attending Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. There he studied biology, psychology and mathematics. It spoke to Mark's character that he took higher math courses like calculus as an optional class because it interested him, rather than taking a much easier statistics course which most of the psychology majors took to satisfy their math requirements. At one point in his undergraduate life, while he was awaiting word on acceptance to medical school, he stated that if unsuccessful he was going to move to California to become a professional astrologer. Surely the thousands of patients he helped in his long career were very glad that he became a successful doctor. Mark finished his medical degree at Dalhousie University in 1988. After an internship year at Mt. Sinai Hospital in Toronto, Canada, Mark returned to Dalhousie to undertake his residency in Anatomic Pathology. After completing his residency in 1993, Mark moved to Boston, MA where he trained for two years as a Neuropathology fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital. He then worked in New York City for 13 years. In 1995, Mark joined the faculty of the Department of Pathology at Weill Cornell Medical Center as a neuropathologist, and then moved to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) in 2004. At MSKCC, Mark covered the neuropathology and sarcoma services, and developed expertise in bone and soft tissue pathology. After a brief move to Seattle, WA, Mark joined Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, GA, as a Senior Consultant for the soft tissue service and served as Chairman of the Quality Assurance Committee for Anatomic Pathology. At the time of his death, Mark was a Senior Consultant and Director of Autopsy Services in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL. Mark was devoted to advancing the field of pathology for future generations of clinicians and patients. In his 30 years as a pathologist, he co-authored 92 peer-reviewed articles and was a cherished teacher to students, residents and fellows. He was honored with numerous teaching awards throughout his career; his many trainees are his greatest legacy. Mark had tremendous concern for human life and was known to many for his stand against capital punishment, especially by lethal injection. He testified as an expert witness in many trials, and lent these insights to the efforts of the Death Penalty Information Center. A 2020 National Public Radio (NPR) profile highlighted his work in this area. Mark was married to the love of his life, Cristian Xander Hayes and they lived in Jacksonville, FL. They shared a large, beautiful house filled with the antics of their dogs and cat in the background while Mark perfected his technique for baking sourdough bread and tended to his plants. They loved to watch movies, dine and travel together. People wishing to learn more about Mark can search out the Facebook site In Memory of Mark Edgar. If you'd like to make a gift in memory of Mark's extraordinary life, please consider giving to the Peter Bullough Foundation of which Mark was a Board of Directors member, or the Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Pathology Resident Education Fund.