Dr. Mark J. Barth passed away peacefully at his residence in Yonkers, New York, on May 3, 2025.
A resident of the world, most importantly Zug (Switzerland), Brussels, Amsterdam, Albany, and most recently Manhattan.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, he spent his childhood in Massapequa, Long Island and Staten Island. On graduating from Harpur College, he taught history and coached drama teams in international schools in Switzerland, Belgium, and Holland. After returning to New York, he directed the Port Chester Head Start Program and served as an education planner to improve schools in the New York City Juvenile Justice system. He devoted over twenty years to improving low performing schools for the New York State Department of Education in New York City and Albany. Mark was a lifelong learner, and was a proud graduate of Teacher’s College and SUNY Albany where he received his doctorate in Education in 2005. Across his many contributions to education, he was most proud of his efforts to develop guidelines for the social and emotional wellbeing of public-school students in NYS schools.
Mark loved music and picked up his mother’s practice of singing popular songs from the radio, TV and record players. He sang with local choirs in Manhattan and his love for singing and music sustained him to the end. He also carried a lifelong commitment to improving the communities he lived in by actively participating in local, state, and national campaigns, volunteering to tutor under-resourced students, and serving on the Albany City School Board. He had a passionate love for theatre and found many community theatre groups to act with. In 2012 The Albany Times Union said that Mark Barth stole the show in his role as a cop in Neil Simon’s Rumors.
Despite the difficulties of living with dementia, Mark managed the challenges of his disease with grace and courage. To his last day he treasured his friends from all over the world, sought out opportunities to engage with new friends, and to learn new things. He volunteered to be part of several Alzheimer’s studies to improve understanding of the disease. The family is grateful for all the wonderful people who were a part of his care giving team in his last years.
He is survived by the family he dearly loved; his wife Sylvia (Pirani), daughter Anna and her husband Michael Westerman, son Peter Barth and his wife Loannie (Dao), his sisters Donna Musella (Robert) and Nancy Barth-Miller, and in-laws, nieces, nephews and cousins.
A celebration of Mark’s life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Albany Fund for Education, the 92NY Program for Cognitive Strength and Ability (please select “senior programs” in the drop down menu of the designation of gift field), or the Alzheimer’s Association.