12/22/1955 – 11/13/2026
Lawrence
Marc Anthony Epard was the first son of George and June (Kear) Epard, born in Colby KS on December 22, 1955. He grew up on their family farmstead east of Colby. During his childhood through early teens Marc and his younger brother Jay went on the road each summer with their parents to harvest wheat from Texas to North Dakota. In high school, Marc’s math teacher recognized in him an analytical mind attuned to math and problem-solving and set him on the path that would become his lifelong passion and work—engineering focused for most of his career on software development. He traveled to Fort Hays State University weekly through high school to run punch cards through the massive mainframe there, which likely had less computing power than his Apple Watch had today. Marc completed his basic courses at Colby Community College (CCC), also working as a student groundskeeper there and forming lifelong friendships. He went on to achieve an engineering degree from Kansas State University.
He returned to Colby in 1978 after graduation to serve as manager of information systems and computer science teacher at CCC. In 1980, Western Office Supply approached him about developing software for Apple computers. He was the first employee when Rob Herrington launched WOS, an independent software development company in Colby. Marc was an engineer with the skills and creativity to bring products from the idea stage through development and testing to marketable product. He had at least 18 patents issued across his working life and was the creative brain behind products such as Timbuktu, an application that enabled personal computers to communicate across platforms back in the 1980s and ‘90s when that wasn’t simple.
WOS relocated to Lawrence, KS in 1987 and eventually merged with California start-up Farallon, which evolved into Netopia before being absorbed by Motorola. The loyal WOS team embraced the Farallon merger, but insisted the negotiations include making the Lawrence office the Kansas branch of the company rather than relocating. Marc was proud that the Kansas branch was consistently the most productive in the company. When Netopia merged with Motorola, Marc decided to take retirement, and focused for two years on developing iPhone aps under Stray Cat LLC, his own start-up. Rob then recruited him for another start-up, which eventually merged with Alarm.com. At that point Marc joined a former Netopia colleague and good friend Brian Killen to reengage with iPhone app development. Alarm.com eventually recruited him where he worked on home and business security solutions and became a senior mentor to more junior team members. He retired in December 2025 and at Alarm.com’s holiday party he was recognized for his collegiality, mentorship, and contributions to the products and patented technology developed during his years there. Across his lifetime, Marc loved the challenges of engaging at the cusp of developing technology and enjoyed the stimulation of work and fellowship with other bright people.
Marc also enjoyed traveling, both internationally and domestically. The many trips he shared with his wife Kathy Porsch and sometimes Nephew Robby Porsch, were among his favorite memories. Although they backpacked around Europe in their 30s and traveled twice to Africa, most of their international travel was in South and Central America and Mexico. Their travel focused on nature and local culture; many trips were associated with Nature Conservancy preserves and most involved learning from experts in their fields about the local flora and fauna. Their first out-of-country trip with friends Belinda and Pat Cullen to Costa Rica for white-water rafting and to the Campeche area of Mexico with nephew Robby Porsch to celebrate his 18th birthday were among their favorites.
Survivors include Marc’s wife of 38 years Kathy Porsch (married 8/8/88); sisters-in-law Ruth and Joan (Bill Jenkins) Porsch; brother-in-law Michael (Tami) Porsch; nephews Robby (Amanda Turner), Tristan (Taylore), and Dayton Porsch; nieces Marissa and Chloe Porsch; grandnieces Henley and Amelia Porsch; grandnephews Wyatt and Marik Porsch; Uncle and Aunt Larry and Betty Kear and many Kear and Epard cousins.
The family suggests memorials in his name to Citizen’s Medical Center in Colby. Mail to: Citizens Foundation, 100 E. College Drive Colby, KS 67701 or online at https://form-renderer-app.donorperfect.io/give/-citizens-foundation/website-online-giving (click “Add a dedication.”). Arrangements are with Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home of Lawrence.
Note: The Lawrence Times is offering Lawrence and Douglas County community members space to publish remembrances of loved ones who lived in this community, free of charge. These pieces are submitted by family and friends of the deceased and not written by our staff. Photos are also provided to the publication, and some may have been altered prior to submission. Read more obituaries here.
We are honored to be able to offer this service free to community members in mourning. We believe the last thing our neighbors need in those difficult moments is another financial matter to worry about. Please support the Times to help us continue providing this service — and news access — for all.
To submit an obituary to The Lawrence Times, please fill out the form at this link. We’re sorry, but we cannot accept obituary submissions via email or other means.
Receive obituaries via email
As of May 2026, we are launching a newsletter that will include obituaries only. Obituaries will no longer appear in our daily emails. You can sign up below to receive any and all of our emails. If you already receive our daily, weekly and/or occasional emails and you want to keep receiving them, please check those boxes as well.
Please make sure you click on the button that says “Yes, subscribe me to this list” in the email you receive or you will not receive future emails. That extra step is to protect you and make sure you’re not getting emails you don’t want.
