Mark Steven Roloff

ROLOFF Mark Steven Roloff passed away at his home in Austin, Tx on December 29th, 2007 at the age of 56. His untimely and tragic death from metastatic ocular melanoma has shocked and devastated his family and friends, who loved him deeply. He is survived by his devoted and cherished wife, Diana Nadas Roloff; father, Chester Roloff; brother, Craig Roloff; sister, Dawn Larson; surrogate daughter, Gloria Gaines, and his godchildren, Arielle Gaines and Michael Sauvageot. He is the son of Ardith Roloff and uncle of Chad Larson, both deceased. Mark was born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Io. He received his BA degree in 1975 from Kansas University and his MSW degree in 1978 from Tulane University School of Social Work. In addition, he was a Board-Certified Diplomate (BCD) in Clinical Social Work. He had an active private practice as a licensed clinical social worker, highly esteemed by clients and colleagues, alike. He treated children, adolescents, adults, couples, families, and specialized in eating disorders. He was the Director of the Male Eating Disorders Program at River Oaks Hospital in New Orleans from 2002-2006, during which time he lectured regionally and nationally and was respected as an expert in the field. One of his fondest associations was with Shades of Praise, The New Orleans Interracial Gospel Choir, which he joined as a founding member in 2000 and which has proved to be deeply meaningful to him since. After living in New Orleans for 32 years, one year after Hurricane Katrina, he and Diana moved to Austin, where he joined the staff at UT as a highly valued clinical social worker. Mark was a treasured husband, son, brother, and friend. His remarkable life will be celebrated at a memorial service at Trinity Episcopal Church, 1329 Jackson Avenue on Saturday, January 19th, at 2:00 PM, featuring music by Shades of Praise. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to either the Ocular Melanoma Foundation (www.ocularmelanoma.org) or Shades of Praise (www.shadesofpraise.org).