Aaron Michael Mack passed away on Tuesday, March 24th at the age of 42, following his courageous six year battle with cancer.

Aaron was born on September 19, 1983 in Springfield, Illinois. He was raised in Lincoln, Nebraska where he attended school and graduated from the University of Nebraska Lincoln. He obtained his degree in English and minored in Psychology.

He spent his career writing and applied his talent in a number of different specialties ranging from his work at the Nebraska Department of Economic Development to his time in marketing. In 2019 Aaron was recognized for his outstanding work and was inducted into the Great Navy of the State of Nebraska by the governor.

In 2017 he married Anne (Connealy) Mack, and their numerous travel adventures become another source of great passion. The greatest adventure Aaron experienced was when he and Anne welcomed their son Noah in 2023. He was a devoted father and husband, and the great joy of his life was his son.

Aaron was a musician, reader, writer, cycling enthusiast, and an avid chess player. Everything Aaron did, he did with passion. He learned to play guitar at a young age and music was a source of joy for him throughout his life.

He read voraciously from Proust to Stephen King and didn’t leave the writing at work but kept numerous journals filled with letters to his loved ones.

The year he became interested in cycling, he tackled his first century ride (a 100 mile ride) within a matter of months of taking on the hobby, and completed a bike packing trip over the Cowboy Trail in northern Nebraska.

As was his nature with all his passions, Aaron didn’t just play chess, he studied it and connected with grand masters to help him improve. He played innumerable games with his friends, in person and online.

An avid coffee drinker who spent many of his formative years at the Coffee House, Aaron spent countless hours learning how to make the perfect cup of coffee. His enthusiasm for coffee was only rivaled by his love of beer, and he spent years meticulously learning to brew his own beer and perfecting his hazy IPA recipe.

Aaron shared his many passions through his volunteer work: At the Bike Kitchen he helped rebuild bikes for those who needed them, he brought his home brews to the annual Kegs for the Cure, a brewing fundraiser for cancer, and he volunteered as a companion for patients receiving hospice care, reading to them and writing their stories.

Aaron is survived by his wife, Anne, his son, Noah, his sisters Tori (Eric) Chapman and Annie (Derrick) Vest, and his parents Kathy and Kevin Mack, and multiple nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, and to honor Aaron’s courage, the family requests memorials be made to the April Sampson Cancer Center.

A celebration of Aaron’s life will be held at 2:00pm on March 27. Funeral, burial and a reception will be held at Wyuka Cemetery & Funeral Home.