Mark Andrew Rance

Mark Andrew Rance was born on June 10, 1953 in Chatham, Ontario, Canada, to Thomas Frederick and Marjorie Snow Rance. He had two older brothers, Thomas and John. After graduating from local primary and secondary schools, he earned a B.Sc. In Physics from the University of Waterloo in 1976 and a Ph.D. in Physics/Biophysics from the University of Guelph in 1981. A detailed description of his research contributions, along with a full list of his publications is provided elsewhere.  For Mark, his scientific research was paramount to almost everything else in his adult life. 

With respect to his non-research interests, Mark had always been interested in aviation.  This was probably a result of his father’s accomplishments as a Royal Canadian Air Force pilot during World War II. His dad flew numerous, successful bomber missions over Europe in 1944.  A model and painting of the plane piloted by his dad, ‘Pistol Packing Peggy’ (right) were among Mark’s most treasured valuables.  Throughout the remainder of his life, Mark was fascinated by, and was an avid fan of space flights and exploration.  He would have been ‘over the moon’ to watch the recent SpaceX/NASA launch to the ISS!

Many who knew Mark would have described him as a quiet, thoughtful and humble person.  Although generally shy and laid back in demeanor, he was very observant and an excellent judge of character. This was even true when he interacted with people who were non-English speaking and from a very different cultural background than his own.

Mark believed in being kind and helping others. He practiced this often, sometimes to the point of sacrificing his own interests and health. There are numerous stories from individuals who benefited from Mark’s generosity and willingness to work with them. On a personal note, Mark was an extremely thoughtful and kind husband and ‘father’ to his furry family. He understood us all so well, instinctively saying and doing what we each needed to hear and gain from him.

In January, 2019, Mark was diagnosed with Diffuse Large B Cell lymphoma.  Despite the series of chemo- and immunotherapy treatments he underwent after this, his cancer remained refractory to all of them. Although he gracefully endured the pain and discomfort of the disease and treatments, he succumbed on June 22, 2020, shortly after his 67th birthday.  Our love of Mark and our precious memories of him will survive, however.

Pearl Tsang

November 18th, 2020