Community Corner

Memorial Fund Established, Funeral Arrangements Set for Slain Great Falls Man

Police say Mark Edward Waugh was stabbed to death early Sunday in Silver Spring, Md.

A memorial fund has been set up at James Madison University to honor the life of the slain 23-year-old Great Falls man who made an impression there with his team spirit, leadership and top-notch debate skills.

Mark Edward Waugh died this weekend when a birthday celebration in Silver Spring, Md., ended in rage and confusion, according to police reports. His friend, 24-year-old Rahul Gupta of McLean, has been charged with second-degree murder.

Waugh, who was a first-year law student at Georgetown University, was president of the debate team at JMU, where he graduated magna cum laude in 2012. Michael Davis, the university's debate director, told Patch that he won more debates than anyone in the school's history and that the team finished with its highest rankings in each of Waugh's four years at the school.

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The Mark Waugh Memorial Fund was established at his family's request, Davis said in an email Thursday.

It's designed to provide general support and can potentially be used for scholarships, he said.

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"I think Mark would be thrilled with it," he stated.

Waugh is survived by his parents, William and Nancy of Great Falls, brothers Matthew, James and John, a grandmother and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins, according to the death notice published in the Washington Post.

Visitation for friends will be from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday at Fairfax Memorial Funeral Home in Fairfax. The funeral will be held at 1:30 p.m. Sunday at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church, 1020 Springvale Road in Great Falls. Interment will be Monday in Herndon.

To read the death notice, or sign the funeral home guest book, click here.


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