Obituary of Mark Steven Onspaugh, 70
Mark Steven Onspaugh.
– Mark Steven Onspaugh, a twenty-plus-year resident of San Luis Obispo County, died at age 70 at his home in Paso Robles on Saturday, Nov. 9, with his devoted wife Tobey Crockett by his side. The cause was pancreatic cancer. Despite an initially rosy prognosis, he had a sudden downturn, shocking his care team, friends, and family with the abruptness of his departure. He will be sorely missed.
A known writer of science fiction, fantasy, and horror, Mark had multiple novels published, including two from Penguin Random House, as well as smaller presses throughout North America. He was nominated for a prestigious Pushcart prize for his short story The Broken Hand Mirror of Venus, a riff on the H.G. Wells’ classic The War of the Worlds.
He also wrote screenplays and teleplays, with scripts produced on the X-Men Animated Series, Knight Rider, and the horror film Kill Katie Malone, among others. Scripts at various festivals and competitions consistently garnered honors.
While Mark was best known for his darker themes in fiction and screen, he also had a light touch and a childlike appreciation of comics, romance, and Christmas. His various short story collections—Christmas Ghost Stories: A Collection of Winter Tales, Tales From Tomorrow, Dark Valentines, A Mayhem of Monsters, and the forthcoming Z is for Zombie—all feature funny, romantic, and short fiction, as well as the type of haunting fare such titles would suggest. His books are available on Amazon.
His widow, Tobey, herself also a writer, as well as artist and philosopher, is continuing the legacy project of uniting all his written works under the aegis of his own publishing company, Dark Ride Media.
Mark was an engaging man with a tremendous curiosity about many things. He received a degree in Psychology from UCLA, where he graduated cum laude. He also received an associate degree working with animals at the famed EATM program at Moorpark, which he attended in its early years.
He then pursued special effects makeup and had the chance to study with some of the greats: Thomas R. Burman, Rob Bottin, and Rick Baker. His time in practical effects influenced his screenwriting, and he created several original monsters. Mark also studied improv and comedy writing at the Groundlings Theater in L.A., where he studied under Lisa Kudrow, Michael McDonald, and Heather Morgan.
He was fortunate to spend time with some of his literary heroes Ray Bradbury, Harlan Ellison, and Robert Sheckley. But his greatest influence of all was his family, especially his father Carl M. Onspaugh, himself a writer of some renown, an aerospace engineer, and a beloved Scout Master. His mother, Evelyn Owens Onspaugh, was also very active in the Scouts.
Mark was an Eagle Scout, and like all of his family, greatly loved the outdoors and camping. Twin Lakes in the Sierra was one of their favorite destinations for many years. His brother Gary continues that tradition with his own children, Jacob, Seth, and Kimmie.
Mark’s career at UCLA was influenced by his time at the fraternity Zeta Beta Tau, where he met his best friend of over fifty years, Dennis Copelan. Along with his wife Judi Uttal, Dennis and Mark had a true friendship, bonding over their times together producing a radio show at UCLA, their love of writing and comics, and jointly co-authoring a number of projects. His brothers at ZBT will always have a special place in Mark’s heart, as he does in theirs.
The cremation was held privately at Reis Mortuary, but a larger memorial is planned for March 2025 in Morro Bay. Details are still being worked out. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Jane Goodall Institute.
To make a donation by postal mail, please send to the Jane Goodall Institute at 1595 Spring Hill Road, Suite 550, Vienna, VA 22182. To make a donation over the phone, please call 1-800-592-JANE.
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