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At the age of 19, Marco Troper, son of former YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki and Google executive Dennis Troper, passed away in his University of California at Berkeley dorm room on Feb. 13, 2024.
Marco was born in Palo Alto on July 24, 2004, at Stanford Hospital. He grew up in Los Altos and started as a student at Menlo School in Atherton in sixth grade. He shared an innate passion for math with his grandfather, Stanley Wojcicki, a former physics professor at Stanford University who passed away in May 2023. His aunts are also accomplished. His aunt Anne Wojcicki is CEO of 23andMe and his aunt Janet Wojcicki is an anthropologist and epidemiologist.
His love for math started as a young boy and carried into his first year in college as a mathematics major. At home, he and his oldest sibling were known for challenging each other with math problems, so much that a rule had to be made to have no math at the dinner table, said Susan.
“I was always in awe of how he would grasp very complex mathematical and physics problems that master’s or Ph.D. students would study and he would grasp those concepts so well and would explain them with such ease,” said Dennis as he reflected on his son’s talents.
In high school, Marco also published a math paper on Harris Graphs while studying graph theory during a summer program at the University of Michigan. He also qualified for the American Invitational Mathematics Examination, a challenging exam that only students who rank in the top 2.5% to 5% the American Mathematics Competition qualify for.
Menlo’s head of school, Than Healy, recalls Marco’s ability to take up difficult challenges and to approach them with an “innovative, entrepreneurial spirit.”
He also played leading roles in clubs such as the school’s hackathon and started the student Jewish Affinity Group.
“What he really enjoyed was figuring out how to explore and employ tools and systems in ways that others hadn’t thought of before,” Healy said. “He had a pioneer spirit to him and I think his teachers and peers really appreciated that about him.”
Aside from math and science abilities, those who knew Marco describe his radiant personality as kind, warm, curious and happy.
“His kind soul left an indelible mark on all who knew him, reminding us to embrace our true selves and live with unwavering compassion,” said his best friend of three years, Drake Piscione. “Marco was brilliant and full of ambition, destined for greatness. What made our bond so special was our ability to laugh together, to find humor even in the toughest of times. As a person, he had a heart of gold that radiated kindness and warmth. Being with him was like being blessed with this incredible energy that just made life better.”
‘His kind soul left an indelible mark on all who knew him, reminding us to embrace our true selves and live with unwavering compassion.’
Drake Piscione, Marco Troper’s best friend
Marco’s kindness stretched to people across the world as he had a passion for adventure and immersing in different cultures, said Dennis.
During a few months in high school he attended The Island School in the Bahamas, meeting other students from different states and countries. Some flew from as far as Vietnam to attend his funeral in February.
“He was just a fun, curious, social, beautiful kid that would make anyone smile,” said Dennis.
As the middle child of five kids, Susan and Dennis reflected on his kindness toward his siblings, especially his strong relationship with his younger sisters. As the neighborhood babysitter, younger kids also enjoyed Marco’s presence.
“Marco was that combination of kind and talented and the world will miss the positive contributions he would have made that would have helped make the lives of others better,” Healy said.
On Feb. 21, friends and family gathered for a memorial service to celebrate Marco’s life. During the service, his siblings sang the song “Yellow” by Coldplay, a nod to his favorite color being yellow as a child.
“Our family believes that he has been bringing all the rainbows to the Bay Area,” said Susan. “When we came home right after he died, we saw rainbows all over the road on the left, on the right, double rainbows that persisted throughout the week.”
Dennis added: “We think it’s a sign of Marco just looking after his siblings and after us.”
Marco is survived by his parents, four siblings and his grandmother Esther Wojcicki. His parents plan to create math scholarships in his name.
As a message to others, Piscione said: “Follow Marco’s example and live a life of no regrets. Life’s too short not to pursue your passions and find happiness.”