Dr. Kevin Wyatt McMahon

Dr. Kevin “Wyatt” McMahon, 41, passed away quietly at his home on September 13, 2018, in Columbia, Maryland.

Wyatt is survived by his wife, Dr. Enusha Karunasena, and their children, Desmond and Lumini McMahon; his parents, Karen and Kevin McMahon, of Lubbock, TX; his sister and her family, Emily and Bryan Bennett and their children, Annabelle and Beau Bennett, of Lubbock, TX; and parents-in-law, Deepani and Don Karunasena, of Columbia, MD.

Wyatt was born October 10, 1976, in Lubbock, TX. He graduated from Lubbock High School in 1995 and attended Baylor University where he earned a degree in Molecular Biology with a minor in Philosophy. He received his Doctor of Philosophy from the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences from The Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center.  While attending graduate school he met his future wife, Enusha, and married in 2010. They welcomed their first child, Desmond, in 2011. In 2015, they welcomed their daughter, Lumini. After moving to Maryland to work on cancer research as a bioinformaticist, Wyatt was selected as Assistant Professor of Surgery and Oncology at The Johns Hopkins Medical Institute and the Sydney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Wyatt was a loving father and husband who sought to teach his children that, through perseverance and kindness, their dreams are achievable no matter the hurdle—Including his personal battle with cancer. 

He was a passionate scientist who worked tirelessly in his contributions to understanding cancer. He genuinely believed that, by sharing his knowledge of genomic data analysis with colleagues and students alike, they could make the world a better place.

The family would like to thank all of Wyatt’s caregivers: John Oluwasanmi, Georgette Petit, and Vasantha Rupasinghe and all of their wonderful friends, neighbors, work colleagues, and family who helped care for Wyatt and his family. Additionally, the family would like to thank the countless efforts towards Wyatt’s care by physicians, nurses, technicians, physical therapists and health aides at both Johns Hopkins and Duke University hospitals.

A Memorial Service and celebration of Wyatt’s life is scheduled for 11am September 22, 2018, at Donaldson Funeral Home of Clarksville, P.A. 12540 Clarksville Pike, Clarksville, Maryland 21029. All are welcome to attend and help celebrate Wyatt’s amazing life with a reception to follow. A second memorial service and celebration of Wyatt’s life is scheduled in his hometown for 10am on September 29, 2018 at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Lubbock, TX.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the National Brain Tumor Society at https://nbtsevents.braintumor.org/loveforwyatt.

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