Mark Kevin Barcus was, in his own words, a simple man who lived a simple life. He worked in wood and was a meticulous craftsman and artist, creating some beautiful built-in and stand-alone furniture pieces. His heart was always open to the underdog and he loved helping others. Mark's main hobby was golfing, which he shared with his life partner, Misao Kaneko, on many golfing excursion vacations. Sedona, AZ was a favorite spot, but Mark enjoyed playing golf almost anywhere. As a child Mark also played the trumpet, and grew up loving music of all kinds. One of the not-so-simple things Mark learned to do was make sushi, studying in Tokyo under a master sushi chef for almost a year. He traveled to Japan three times to experience his mother's and his partner's culture first hand, and had a reasonable grasp of spoken Japanese, to the delight and amusement of his many Japanese-American friends. Mark was born in Champaign, Illinois on December 20, 1956 and moved with his family to Boston at age 2. His father, Francis Earle Barcus, was a professor at Boston University, and mother Faith Nobuko Araki Barcus was a stay-at-home mom who later attained her Associate's Degree in Business and finished her career as the Dean of Student Life at Showa College in Jamaica Plain. Mark passed away on February 26 in Brookline from pancreatic and intestinal cancer. He is survived by his loving life partner of 28 years, Misao Kaneko; sister Julie Starr and her wife Laura Bode; brother Gary Barcus and his wife Reta Gilpatric; nephews Dustin Barcus, Dalton Barcus, and Dorian Barcus and wife Dania; and sister-in-law Milagros Barcus and her life partner James Sugrue. Mark was able to hold the next generation, Nyjah Earle Barcus (2-month-old son of Dorian and Dania) the week before he passed. A small family service prior to cremation is planned for March 6. In lieu of flowers, those wishing to make donations can give to PlanetBoston, a fledgling group providing a living farm experience and lifestyle for persons on the autism spectrum, at www.planetboston.org.