John Emanuel Marks

Chicago, IL. As a child he loved trains and the theatre. At the age of nine he would take the train

alone from Chicago to Michigan, telling the ticket taker that he had an aunt waiting for him at his

destination, he did not have anyone waiting for him, he just wanted to ride the train. He had so

many stories of taking trains or busses all over the United States and Mexico as well. John

always had a passion to be in the big city and as a teenager he got a job as an usher at the Gerrick

Theater in Downtown Chicago. During his time working for the theatre, he saw musical greats

such as Louis Armstrong, Lawrence Welk, Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey, Eddie Howard, Artie

Shaw and Glenn Miller, to name just a few. When he would tell his family stories of the stage

shows he saw he made it possible to imagine how beautiful the theatres were. His love for music

was surely passed on to his daughter. He worked at the Garrick Theatre until he was 21 when the

theatre shut down and he and his mom moved to join his dad in Santa Fe, NM in 1950.

In 1951 John was drafted into the U.S. Army. He was the first person, at that time, which scored

100% on the Armed Forces Qualification Test and received an award from the President of the

United States. His Smith & Corona typewriter from his mother served him well, with his

incredible typing skills he was stationed as secretary to various sergeants at Fort Hood, TX

throughout his service. Upon returning home from the army he enrolled at the University of New

Mexico where he received his bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education and History. He valued

education highly and instilled the importance of a good education on his family. After graduating

from the University of New Mexico he enrolled at the University of Denver where he received

his master’s degree in public administration and political science. He went on to work for Fish

and Wildlife in Albuquerque, NM before transferring to Denver and working for the Bureau of

Land Management in position classification where he worked for 30 years, retiring in 1987. He

loved his work with BLM and was able to travel to 17 western states, including Alaska. He also

traveled to Washington DC many times. John always went above and beyond in making

decisions that affected the lives of the people and positions he was evaluating. Whenever he was

sent out on a job assignment everyone looked forward to his arrival and he made hundreds of

friends during his career. He was proud to talk about his experiences for hours with his family.

John Met the love of his life, Marie D. Martinez, in 1950, was married in 1957 and lived for

several years in Albuquerque, NM before moving to Colorado. In 1969 John and Marie’s only

daughter, Diane, was born in Downtown Denver where they lived and enjoyed a lifetime of

memories. John and Marie were married for 48 years before she passed away in 2004.

John loved being in the heart of the city and always took his family Downtown to experience all

that Denver had to offer, including parades, festivals and museums. He shared his love of

learning and experiencing new things with his family which will be an important part of his

legacy that will carry on. He loved meeting new people and always asked anyone he met where

they were from and could talk about any location with them. Everyone he ever met was a friend.

In addition to being an amazing husband and father he was the best Papa to his Granddaughters

Elisia and Emilie, teaching and showing them so much of what the world has to offer. John also

loved spending time with his great grandchildren, taking the time to learn video games and chess

at an age of 90+ with his great grandson Jamie and enjoying the immense love from his littlest

fans Sara and Hudson. John loved his family more than anything in the world and always looked

forward to every moment he spent with them.

John joins his wife, Marie, and his mother and father Louise and Emanuel Markakis in Heaven.

He is survived by his daughter, Diane and his two Granddaughters, Elisia and Emilie as well as

his Greatgrandchildren, Jamie, Sara, Hudson and new great-grandson Brady, who will be born in

March of 2024.

The family welcomes any, and all, family and friends to attend and to bring any stories, photos,

and memories that they would like to offer.

A public viewing will be held on December 29, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Olinger

Crown Hill Mortuary & Cemetery 7777 W. 29th Ave., Wheat Ridge, CO with services

immediately following at 1:00 p.m. in the Pavilion of Reflection.

A Celebration of Life will be held on December 30th, 2023, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.at the

Colorado Brew Pub 14982 W. 69th Ave., Arvada, CO

In lieu of flowers please make donations to the Colorado Railroad Museum going to

https://coloradorailroadmuseum.org/donate-now/

Papa, you are now at peace and with those who you missed so much but your legacy will live on

forever in our hearts and lives. We love you so much. Rest In Peace