Obituary for Mark H. Bramhall
Mark Hardy Bramhall, 73, of Acton, MA, and Paris, France, died peacefully in hospice care in Lincoln, MA on November 9, 2021, lovingly supported by extended family and many dear friends.
Mark was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the eldest of three sons of George Hardy Bramhall and Elizabeth Bird Bramhall. He met Jan Kschinka at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota in 1966, when both were freshmen; they married a week after graduation in 1970 and recently celebrated their 51st anniversary.
Mark carried a double major in mathematics and physics at Carleton. He became intrigued by computers his
freshman year, and spent his entire career as a computer programmer/software engineer. He worked for many years with Digital Equipment Corporation in Maynard, Nashua, and Merrimack. Upon leaving DEC, he was employed as CTO for Symmetrix, Portal Solutions, Code Lab, Allin, and Pet Rock. After retirement, he accepted a job with Fermat, a start-up company in France, which fulfilled his long-held dream of living in Paris, while doing a job he found satisfying and delightful. He adored everything about being a Parisian, and he leaves many friends there.
Mark loved to travel and enjoyed many trips around the world for both business and pleasure. He was a good cook who savored food from all the places he visited. He loved the family cabin in Vermont that he and his parents and brothers built while he was in high school. His taste in entertainment was eclectic, like his vocabulary. He was an avid reader with an amazingly good memory. He enjoyed downhill and cross-country skiing, rock and roll music, musicals, folk music, blues, boating and sailing, museums and art, wordplay, and live theater. He was a sustaining member of Acton’s Theatre III and a founding member of the Acton Discovery Museum. He supported kids and schools, and donated annually to the Acton-Boxborough Student Activities Fund. He was a long-term admissions assistant for Carleton, representing the college at countless college fairs in Massachusetts – and even one in Europe. He loved walking through European cities and strolling through museums; he loved babies and teenagers. He was often quiet, but never stopped thinking. A mot juste or a bon mot dropped into the perfect moment of conversation always proved that.
He was a generous and gentle man, peaceable and socially conscious. His family and friends will miss his warmth, humor, and quiet joie d’vivre.
He thrived on being with people, but his greatest love was his family. He is survived by his dearly loved wife of 51 years, Jan Kschinka Bramhall, his treasured 3 children, Blake Bramhall Scherer of Houston, TX; Dylan Tran Cao Son Bramhall and spouse Katrina Marie (Turiano) Bramhall of Miami, FL; and Arthur Wescott Bramhall of McFarland, WI; and his precious grandchildren, Nathaniel, Lyndis, Charles, Alyssa, and Henry. He also leaves his brothers Henry (and wife Sylvie Clark Bramhall) of Fairfield, CA, and Thomas, of Huntsville, AL. He was an integral member of Jan’s family and leaves sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law. Mark is also survived by nieces, nephews, great-nieces and -nephews, and their families. He was predeceased by his parents.
A celebration of Mark’s life will be scheduled.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Mark’s memory can be made to:
The National Trust (nationaltrust.org.uk)
Theatre III, 250 Central Street, Acton, MA 01720 (https://www.theatreiii.org/donations.html)
The Discovery Museum, Action, MA (https://www.discoveryacton.org/support-us/how-give)
Friends of Notre Dame (https://www.friendsofnotredamedeparis.org/donate-to-notre-dame/)
Planned Parenthood (https://www.weareplannedparenthood.org/onlineactions)
MoveOn (https://act.moveon.org/donate/pac-donation
Memorial page actonfuneralhome.com
Mark was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the eldest of three sons of George Hardy Bramhall and Elizabeth Bird Bramhall. He met Jan Kschinka at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota in 1966, when both were freshmen; they married a week after graduation in 1970 and recently celebrated their 51st anniversary.
Mark carried a double major in mathematics and physics at Carleton. He became intrigued by computers his
freshman year, and spent his entire career as a computer programmer/software engineer. He worked for many years with Digital Equipment Corporation in Maynard, Nashua, and Merrimack. Upon leaving DEC, he was employed as CTO for Symmetrix, Portal Solutions, Code Lab, Allin, and Pet Rock. After retirement, he accepted a job with Fermat, a start-up company in France, which fulfilled his long-held dream of living in Paris, while doing a job he found satisfying and delightful. He adored everything about being a Parisian, and he leaves many friends there.
Mark loved to travel and enjoyed many trips around the world for both business and pleasure. He was a good cook who savored food from all the places he visited. He loved the family cabin in Vermont that he and his parents and brothers built while he was in high school. His taste in entertainment was eclectic, like his vocabulary. He was an avid reader with an amazingly good memory. He enjoyed downhill and cross-country skiing, rock and roll music, musicals, folk music, blues, boating and sailing, museums and art, wordplay, and live theater. He was a sustaining member of Acton’s Theatre III and a founding member of the Acton Discovery Museum. He supported kids and schools, and donated annually to the Acton-Boxborough Student Activities Fund. He was a long-term admissions assistant for Carleton, representing the college at countless college fairs in Massachusetts – and even one in Europe. He loved walking through European cities and strolling through museums; he loved babies and teenagers. He was often quiet, but never stopped thinking. A mot juste or a bon mot dropped into the perfect moment of conversation always proved that.
He was a generous and gentle man, peaceable and socially conscious. His family and friends will miss his warmth, humor, and quiet joie d’vivre.
He thrived on being with people, but his greatest love was his family. He is survived by his dearly loved wife of 51 years, Jan Kschinka Bramhall, his treasured 3 children, Blake Bramhall Scherer of Houston, TX; Dylan Tran Cao Son Bramhall and spouse Katrina Marie (Turiano) Bramhall of Miami, FL; and Arthur Wescott Bramhall of McFarland, WI; and his precious grandchildren, Nathaniel, Lyndis, Charles, Alyssa, and Henry. He also leaves his brothers Henry (and wife Sylvie Clark Bramhall) of Fairfield, CA, and Thomas, of Huntsville, AL. He was an integral member of Jan’s family and leaves sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law. Mark is also survived by nieces, nephews, great-nieces and -nephews, and their families. He was predeceased by his parents.
A celebration of Mark’s life will be scheduled.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Mark’s memory can be made to:
The National Trust (nationaltrust.org.uk)
Theatre III, 250 Central Street, Acton, MA 01720 (https://www.theatreiii.org/donations.html)
The Discovery Museum, Action, MA (https://www.discoveryacton.org/support-us/how-give)
Friends of Notre Dame (https://www.friendsofnotredamedeparis.org/donate-to-notre-dame/)
Planned Parenthood (https://www.weareplannedparenthood.org/onlineactions)
MoveOn (https://act.moveon.org/donate/pac-donation
Memorial page actonfuneralhome.com