Roll Call Tribute

Mark Edward Haas 

December 15, 1962 - August 30, 2024 

Mark Edward Haas passed away on August 30, 2024, after a valiant fight with sarcoma cancer. Mark never lost his optimism for the future during the fight. His last thoughts and acts were for others.

Mark was born on December 15, 1962, in Vancouver, Washington to loving parents, Richard and Ruth Haas. The family traveled the country with Richard’s career in the USCG. During the tour of duty stations, Mark discovered his lifetime love of the water. He took this love into his professional and personal life.

Mark earned his BSc in Ocean Engineering and his MSc in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University, and his MBA from the University of Houston. Mark had a brief stint working on US Navy submarines, notably the Seawolf attack submarine, in structural dynamic and radiated noise. He was triple certified by the Texas Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors in Coastal and Ocean Engineering, Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, and Structural Engineering.

Mark worked more than 30 years in the oil and gas industry on offshore and coastal structures for the exploration and production of hydrocarbons from locations around the world. He was the installation engineer for the world’s largest two-piece, lifted offshore platform in the world, the Shell Enchilada platform in the Gulf of Mexico. He worked and traveled extensively throughout the world, including in Europe, Lagos, Abu Dhabi. Leaving friends and colleagues worldwide.

In 2015, Mark transitioned his experience to complex coastal structures and forensics engineering. He’s reviewed newbuild structures and old structures. His last project was saving the homes of Condo owners on the coast in Galveston through his innovative engineering solutions to coastal degradation of the foundation. The Monday before he passed, he managed to walk the construction site for assurance that the project was moving forward in the best interests of the building owners.

Mark was awarded the USCG Certificate of Merit for a lifesaving rescue of a drowning kayaker in Galveston. He also saved his sister’s life when they were children swimming off the coast of New Jersey. Kirstin was caught in a riptide, and Mark swam out and saved her from being taken out to sea.

Mark holds two US patents and has submitted applications for several provisional US patent applications pending their award, addressing fiber-optic monitoring systems for complex onshore and offshore structures and for oil and gas activities.

Mark was an avid sailor, having sailed and raced in regional, national, and international regattas from the US to Europe, SW Asia, and West Africa. Some of his happiest moments were spent navigating seas at the helm of his J-109 Bonfire. He also biked, hunted, and took amazing photos throughout his journeys. Mark loved adventures with his English Pointer, Chisum. Mark’s interests were varied, but the outdoors played an instrumental part in activities. He attacked every activity with thorough research and with style.

Mark leaves a great hole in our lives. He was preceded in death by his parents, Richard and Ruth Haas. He is survived by his sister and brother-in-law, Kirstin and Chuck Shine, Fair Oaks Ranch, Tx, niece Kyra Shine and extended family, uncles and cousins throughout the country and countless friends throughout the world. Special thanks and gratitude go to Harold (JR) Reddish for being the big brother to him he always needed and wanted., to Joe Elliot for being an amazing spiritual advisor and friend, during his fight with cancer. To Tammy and Bobby Hendrix and Nina and Mark Rach for their long-standing love, support and friendship of Mark. And to his doctor at MD Anderson, Dr. Dejka Araujo for her amazing work in the field of sarcoma cancer. To those not listed, you are appreciated and the oversight is ours. The family will never be able to repay you each for all you did to support and care for Mark.

In lieu of flowers, an endowed scholarship, the Mark E. Haas Memorial Scholarship, at Texas A&M University’s Ocean Engineering Department is established. Please consider a donation to the scholarship so that his brilliance and knowledge of the world’s waters can go forward.
http://give.am/MarkHaasMemorialScholarship 

A celebration of Mark’s life will be held at Coastal Community Church at 11 am in Galveston on October 12th. Please wear something expressing Mark’s love of the water. A private interment at sea will take place in the evening.