Mark Swope

Irving Mark Swope died unexpectedly at his home in Damascus, MD, on March 20, 2026. He was born in Frederick, MD, on October 14, 1948, to Anna Gladys Swope (née Young) and Irving Bross Swope.

Mark grew up in Gaithersburg at a time when it was a small town. He attended Gaithersburg High School and was on the varsity track and football teams. He later earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Gettysburg College, where he also lettered in football. After college, he returned home and delivered furniture for Sears with his best friend, Jimmy Moxley. He then worked for Jacobs Transfer, driving tractor-trailers from Gaithersburg to Baltimore. He was a self-taught mechanic and worked at several local repair shops prior to joining the Montgomery County government to work on heavy equipment and buses. Using the County’s college tuition program, he earned a degree in computer science. He applied for an internal computer science position, but his application was declined because he lacked computer experience. Their loss.

After achieving a perfect score on a logic-based screening exam, he was hired for the business systems training program at Fannie Mae. Mark worked at Fannie Mae as a computer software developer for over 20 years. Quiet and soft-spoken, Mark used words sparingly but effectively to solve problems. At Fannie Mae, it was said that when Mark Swope spoke up, people listened. After retiring from Fannie Mae, he worked as a consultant and later served as the most “senior” engineer at his son’s mechanical engineering company, where he earned several US patents for his inventions.

He and his loving wife and partner of 52 years, Robin Talbott, grew up within two blocks of one another and attended Grace United Methodist Church. They began dating seriously after Robin graduated from college.

Mark was strong, intelligent, loving, kind, warm, humble, patient, and curious. He loved building and fixing things, and he never faced a problem he couldn’t solve. From Rubik's cubes to small-engine repairs to advanced computer programming, he mastered every challenge with his patient, logical mind. He generously shared his mechanical and technological skills with anyone who needed help. He enjoyed working on cars, listening to classic rock, boating and fishing, skiing Utah powder, eating too much ice cream, savoring a good steak, helping his wife raise service dogs, and most of all, spending time with his family.

He is survived by his loving wife, Robin; his two sons, Bretton Mark Swope and Alexander Walker Swope; and his older sister, Rebecca Ann Brock (née Swope).

A celebration of life will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Damascus Little Free Pantry in his memory. 11017 Locust Drive, Damascus, MD 20872.

Online condolences may be shared with the family at: www.molesworthwilliams.com

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