Marco Antonio Abreu, MS, a staff member in the Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics at the Indiana University School of Medicine, died unexpectedly on Oct. 17, 2026. He served in the department for the past 10 years.
Marco was a founding member of the Schwantes-An Lab and served as data manager for several projects including NASH CRN, PAHB, URDC-UDN, and Indiana Biobank. He is survived by his wife, Marissa, 3-year-old daughter, Zuzu, mother, Nancy, and extended family. He was a beloved member of his team, and his contributions and presence will be sorely missed.
A memorial gathering to celebrate Marco’s life will be held on Thursday, Oct. 29, at 5 p.m., followed by a funeral service at 6 p.m. at Flanner Buchanan Funeral Centers — Washington Park East (10722 E. Washington St., Indianapolis, IN 46229).
Anyone interested in helping Marco’s family during this difficult time may sign up on Meal Train to provide a meal.
The department is compiling a memorial book to celebrate and honor the life of a dear colleague and friend. Please use this form to share your memories, stories, photos and messages of sympathy. Your contributions will be compiled into a printed memory book for Marco’s family and will be saved as a shared tribute for all at IU School of Medicine who knew and cared for Marco. If you have any questions or suggestions, please email Linus Schwantes-An.
Understandably, this news may be difficult, and support is available. The Employee Assistance Program (EAP), SupportLinc, allows all employees (and their household family members) six free mental health counseling sessions per issue, per calendar year. The phone number is (888)881-5462, available 24/7 every day. Licensed counselors answer the phone and can assist with arranging in-person or virtual short-term counseling. You can find additional information on the IU workplace mental health website and on this Employee Care Card PDF. Healthy IU has additional grief and loss support resources. In addition, there is a Healthy IU Teams group to provide a supportive, compassionate and caring environment enabling Indiana University employees who are grieving to connect with each other: IU Grief Support Community.
