Mark Marcoplos

Devoted family man and innovative green builder, county commissioner and civic activist, musician and athlete, Mark Marcoplos passed suddenly while surrounded by family and the music he loved.

Mark was the owner of Marcoplos Construction. He was a pioneer in developing environmentally-friendly designs and technology for homes and businesses throughout the Orange County-Triangle area. His life’s work focused on developing projects that were energy efficient and incorporated sustainable materials and the principles of green construction.

Passionate about building a strong community, Mark served on Orange County’s Economic Development Commission and was appointed to the county’s Water and Sewage Authority board. He chaired that board from 2003 to 2005. He was appointed to Orange County’s Planning Board in 2009.

In 2016, Mark was elected to the Orange County Board of County Commissioners. He championed initiatives that focused on climate resilience, social justice, open space acquisition, living wages and vocational opportunities. He served one term as the “at-large” commissioner. At the time he wrote, “I am proud of what I was able to contribute. My decades of civil engagement, community activism and my 18-years in the ‘minor leagues’ of various government boards and committees prepared me well.”

As a green building expert, Mark was dedicated to educating the community about sustainable design and construction. His articles and columns were featured in local and national publications, and he appeared on Discovery Channel’s Renovation Nation to spotlight residential photovoltaic generating and solar systems. He taught a course on green building at Central Carolina Community College.

Mark was born in Brockton, MA, and raised in Baltimore and Reisterstown, MD. He graduated from Deerfield Academy in Deerfield, MA, in 1971 and attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After a year of travel through Mexico and the United States, Mark set up shop in Chapel Hill and learned the building trades. He established his own carpentry business in 1987.

In 2001, a lifelong dream was realized with the completion of his own home, a model green building incorporating solar, passive cooling and recycled materials.

Mark is survived by his partner and wife of 42 years, Wanda Sundermann, three sons and five grandchildren: Lucas and wife Hannah and grandson Felix of Louisville, KY; Dakota and wife Lea and grandsons Brasby and Caspar of Saxapahaw, and Riley, wife Hayley and grandchildren Nora and Eden of Durham. He was a dear brother to Christie Marcoplos of Coeur d’Alene, ID, and uncle to her son Nathan Ohler, wife Ramsey and grandson Henry of Spokane, WA.

Mark loved music. He was an accomplished guitarist who treasured his jam sessions with friends. Mark died while camping at the Lake Eden Arts Festival in Black Mountain, an event he and Wanda had attended for 30 years.

Mark was always a competitive athlete harking back to his high school days as a lacrosse all-star. He was an all-ACC soccer player his freshman fall semester at UNC. In later years, he thrived on helping coach his boys on the baseball diamond and taking part in local in-line roller hockey games. On the golf course, his swing, particularly his driver, was a wonder. He was a lifelong Baltimore Orioles fan.

Honoring his request, Mark was put to rest with a green burial. A public memorial celebration of Mark’s life is scheduled for Saturday, December 6 at 2 p.m. at his home in Orange County to be followed by food and a music jam.

In lieu of flowers, Mark’s family asks that contributions be made to the Haw River Assembly, www.hawriver.org, or NCWARN, www.ncwarn.org.