Mark Waters
Mark Waters, the father of Augustus Waters, is a central figure of warmth and steadfast support in the lives of his son and Hazel Grace Lancaster. Introduced as a tall, skinny man who ages parentally, he is first seen in the family kitchen rolling enchiladas with his wife, Cindy, and immediately welcomes Hazel with an easygoing, “How’s it going, Hazel?” His home is festooned with “Encouragements”—cross-stitched sayings like “Family Is Forever”—which he genuinely appreciates, even as his son teases him about them. Mark’s role is that of a loving, slightly sentimental father who is deeply invested in his family’s well-being and who navigates the complexities of his son’s illness with a blend of humor, faith, and unwavering presence.
Identity and Background
Mark Waters is a resident of Indianapolis, Indiana, living in a two-story colonial house in a subdivision with eight-foot-high stucco walls. He is married to Cindy Waters and is the father of Augustus and two older half-sisters, Julie and Martha, who live in Chicago and are married to “very fancy lawyer dudes. Or banker dudes.” Mark’s own fatherly style is affectionate and slightly old-fashioned; he calls his son “Gus” and is a fan of the Indiana Pacers, specifically the Dutch player Rik Smits, a detail that immediately endears him to Hazel’s father. He works a job that keeps him away during the week, but his presence at home is marked by a desire to connect, whether through shared meals or watching old home videos of Gus playing basketball.
Role in Augustus’s Illness and the Amsterdam Trip
Mark is a constant, supportive figure throughout Augustus’s cancer journey. He is present during the initial diagnosis and treatment, and he accompanies his son to pick out a burial plot at Crown Hill Cemetery, a moment that underscores his willingness to face the hardest realities alongside his child. When Augustus decides to use his Wish from The Genie Foundation to take Hazel to Amsterdam, Mark supports the plan, even as he and Cindy try to stop Gus from abandoning his palliative chemo to make the trip. The morning of the departure, Mark is part of the emotional scene where Augustus screams, “BECAUSE IT IS MY LIFE, MOM. IT BELONGS TO ME,” a confrontation that reveals the family’s deep struggle with Gus’s autonomy in the face of his illness. Despite this tension, Mark remains a loving presence, and after Gus’s death, he is the one who calls Hazel to tell her he found a black Moleskine notebook near Gus’s hospital bed, though the pages are torn out.
Relationship with Hazel
Mark develops a warm, paternal bond with Hazel. He insists she call him “Mark” rather than “Mr. Waters,” and he is openly affectionate, once putting an arm around her and kissing the side of her head while whispering, “I thank God for you every day, kid.” He is also protective; during Gus’s final decline, when Hazel wants to rush to his side, Mark and Cindy initially ask for family-only time, a decision that Hazel accepts with understanding. At Gus’s funeral, Mark and Cindy stand together, arm in arm, nodding at every word of Hazel’s eulogy, their shared grief a testament to the family Hazel has become part of.
Grief and Legacy
After Augustus’s death, Mark and Cindy are left in a state of quiet devastation. At a dinner with Hazel, they sit eating very small amounts of lasagna, not even looking at each other, until their grandchildren’s chaotic energy fills the kitchen and they finally hold hands. Mark’s grief is expressed through his faith; he tells Hazel, “Heaven needed an angel,” and later, when searching for Gus’s missing notebook pages, he says, “The messages he leaves for us now are coming from above, Hazel.” This belief in a continued spiritual presence is a cornerstone of his coping. Mark Waters is ultimately a figure of enduring love—a father who, despite the unbearable loss, remains a source of comfort and a living reminder of the family that Gus built around himself.
