Mark Malabuyo's Obituary
On Sunday June 2, 2019, Mark Anthony Malabuyo, loving and devoted father and husband, son and brother, and our dear friend passed away at home in Oakland, CA, surrounded by his family. In March 2018, Mark was diagnosed with Stage 4 stomach cancer. Despite undergoing intensive treatment for over a year, his cancer proved too aggressive.
Mark was born at Mount Zion Hospital in San Francisco, CA on July 31, 1971 becoming the first Malabuyo born in the United States. As the first of three siblings and the eldest of twelve Floresca cousins all raised in SF’s Bernal Heights neighborhood, he was naturally crowned “Kuya”(elder brother). His strong sense of family and the neighborhood he grew up in became the backdrop to his magnetic personality and his many childhood skills. Legos, drawing, model car building, breakdancing, moonwalking, stunt bike-riding, sound effect skills, graffiti and boom box music blasting were some of his many hobbies that would all shape his creative genius.
Mark graduated Raoul Wallenberg High School in San Francisco in 1989 and attended SF City College and Cuesta Community College in San Luis Obispo in the years following high school. In 1992, after what ended up being a lifelong preparation for his acceptance portfolio, he transferred to CalPolytechnic University, San Luis Obispo. He graduated in 1996 with a Bachelor of Arts in Applied Arts & Design. On the heels of his graduation from CalPoly, at the youthful age of 26, he was hired by George Lucas’ Industrial, Light, & Magic as a Senior Graphic Designer, returned to the Bay Area, and purchased his future family’s home in the Rockridge District of Oakland, California.
In April of 1999, he met the love of his life, Brigid Hewitt, while at San Francisco’s Justice League attending The Pharcyde’s concert, and in the years to follow, they became known as one of the most stylish and trend-setting couples of the Bay Area. You were lucky to spot them cruising in his custom-restored 1964 Galaxie 500. They married on May 7, 2005 in his childhood parish church, Saint Cecilia’s, followed by one of the most memorable receptions in San Francisco’s historic Regency Ballroom. Mark became a world-class father who adored their daughter, Matilda, who was born on April 28, 2009.
Professionally, Mark was a seasoned creative with an eclectic background in entertainment, interactive design, digital advertising and mobile gaming. Along the way, he’s worked with some of the world’s most recognized brands, continually producing fresh, innovative and focused design solutions (for companies like Carat, Zynga, DeNA, Adidas Women, and Lucasfilms to name a few). In 2016, Mark was brought on by Electronic Arts in 2016 as a Senior UserInterface Designer and knew he had found his career’s highlight and where, he imagined, he would one day retire. His love of music, street style and culture played an influential role in his work.
He is remembered lovingly by his family and friends for his witty humor, his incredible will and spirit, his sense of style, his unparalleled taste in music and his charismatic and infectious personality.
He is survived by his beloved wife, Brigid Hewitt Malabuyo and his daughter, Matilda Malabuyo; his maternal grandmother, Rosita Binongcal Floresca, his parents Loida Floresca Malabuyo and Oscar Gonzales Malabuyo; his brother, Mario Anacleto Malabuyo; his sister, Olivia Malabuyo Tablante (husband, Marlone); his nephew Noel and his niece Lana Mae; his aunt and uncle Didy and Diloy Malabuyo; his aunts and uncles Chris (wife, Divina), Amy (husband, Alex), Flor (husband, Ador), and Menerito (wife, Irene) together with his large family of cousins, nieces, and nephews. Preceding him in death are his paternal grandparents Anacleto Rivera Malabuyo and Cleofas Barcelona Gonzales Malabuyo; and his maternal grandfather Crisogono Estepa Floresca.
Missed immensely. Cherished forever.
Rest in Peace (July 31, 1971 – June 2, 2019)
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