Kevin Hart

Mark Kevin Hart, 66, of Willow Spring, NC passed away after a brief illness on Saturday, August 16, 2025, with his wife by his side.

Kevin was born in Syracuse, New York to his loving parents Donald and Marjorie. His family moved to Plymouth Meeting, PA when he was 9 after a few years in Oklahoma. He graduated from Villanova University in 1981 with a degree in Astronomy and a minor in Mathematics.

After college, Kevin worked at GE Aerospace in Valley Forge, PA. The company hired a lot of young people during the cold war and expected them to work much more than 40 hours a week. With the long work hours and company sponsored intramural sports, many employees became lifelong partners and remain so after 35 years.

Kevin and Kathy met when he had a question for her office mate and Kathy inquired about the cute guy from the building next door. Not long after, Kevin joined the same team as Kathy. In addition to the long hours at work, they shared social activities like volleyball, biking, and snow skiing. The rest, as they say, is history.

After 15 years in Aerospace, he decided to give up his desk job to brew beer for a living. This hobby turned career brought him and Kathy to North Carolina in 1997. After a few years in the beer industry he returned to technology working for both large companies and startups until he finished his career retiring from Garmin in 2018.

Kevin was a lifelong learner, a problem solver, and a perfectionist. Friends and family appreciated his MacGyver-like skills. He could fix anything from bikes to cars to furniture and even refurbished his mother's Victrola.

In North Carolina, Kevin and Kathy built their dream house which became their sanctuary situated on a large pond surrounded by wildlife. While living in this retreat, they established a wonderful and extensive family of friends and neighbors.

Kevin became interested in Astronomy after taking a class at Plymouth White Marsh Junior High School and saved his money to buy his first telescope when he was 16. Astronomy remained one of his many passions throughout his life. He enjoyed setting up his telescope in the neighborhood or anywhere with a dark sky to share the planets and planetary objects with friends and family or anyone who happened to be walking by. He sometimes woke up house guests in the middle of the night if there was something spectacular going on in the sky.

Kevin and Kathy made a trip to the path of totality to view the Total Solar Eclipses in 2017 and 2024 where he shared a peek through the two telescopes he had set up for both viewing and photography. He took some remarkable photos to share of these rare events.

Kevin was an unwavering Philadelphia Eagles Fan who planned his weekend activities around game time. He loved recapping the games on phone calls with his dad and brother. Unfortunately he missed watching the underdog Eagles win their first Super Bowl in 2018. On the day the Eagles beat the Patriots, Kevin was "already booked" traveling with Kathy on a trip of a lifetime to Antarctica for her birthday.

Kevin and Kathy were planning for their 36th wedding anniversary this September. They always celebrated their anniversary with a gift of travel because they loved sharing new places and experiences with each other. If either Kevin or Kathy went on a trip for work or play without the other, they often returned to that location together. Their philosophy was to share the places you love with the people you love. This philosophy inspired them to travel with both sets of parents to Hawaii and Alaska and with Kathy's parents to Peru and Iceland.

Kevin spent the past 5 years exploring the US in an RV with Kathy and their dog Maddie. They drove both the southern route and the northern route across the country to work on their National Park and State lists. They traveled to North Dakota in 2024 which completed their 50 states checklist and increased their National Parks count to 46 of 63. Kevin also visited 22 countries in 5 continents.

Kevin was preceded in death by his parents Donald and Marjorie; and his beloved cocker spaniels Molly and Maddie. He is survived by the love of his life Kathy, brother Steven (Kay), niece Lily, nephew Vaughan, and his dearly loved parents in law, Janice and Phillip Brown.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held at Bass Lake Park, 900 Bass Lake Road, Holly Springs, NC on Friday, September 12, 2025. Visitation begins at 2:30 pm with the service at 3:30 pm. Following the service there will be time to visit more and share memories with friends and family.

The family wants to thank the exceptional staff at North Carolina Heart & Vascular Hospital in Raleigh for their outstanding care and compassion to both Kevin and Kathy.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the National Park Foundation where you can make a gift in memory of Mark Kevin Hart and notify the family with a card. Or, go on an adventure with someone you love and think about Kevin.