Marks, Murray Charles

Murray Charles Marks, 91, a resident of Summit Point, Marion, formerly of Colorado Springs, Colo., died Saturday, Aug. 24, 2013, at Summit Point. Memorial Mass: 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 28, at St. Joseph Catholic Church, Marion, by Father David O'Conner. The family will receive friends from 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at Murdoch Funeral Home & Cremation Center, Marion, and one half-hour before mass Wednesday at the church. A parish vigil service will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home in Marion. Burial: Cedar Memorial Park Cemetery, Cedar Rapids, with military honors.

Survivors include his wife of 71 years, Alice; children, Lynn (Richard) Mitchell of Marion, Deanne Marks of Des Moines, Jennifer (Greg) Gaskin of Frederick, Colo., Dr. Murray K. Marks of Knoxville, Tenn. and Joyce (Craig) Ferrarini of Chicago; 12 grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; three great-great-grandchildren; and two brothers, Richard (Lois) Marks of New Mexico and Roger (Mary) Marks of Cedar Rapids.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

Murray was born April 18, 1922, in Moline, Ill., the son of Neil and Elizabeth (Tomlinson) Marks. He graduated from Roosevelt High School in Cedar Rapids and attended the University of Iowa. Murray married Alice Earl on March 2, 1942, in Cedar Rapids. He was a veteran of the U.S. Air Force during World War II, retiring as a Lt. Colonel. He was a pilot with the 380th Bomb Group, 5th Army Air Corps and in the U.S. Air Force Reserves until 1988. Murray worked as a chemical engineer for the municipal water plants in Cedar Rapids, Ottumwa and Bloomington, Ill., retiring in 1983.

Murray was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church and formerly a member of Rotary International. He loved building and working with his hands and enjoyed gardening and collecting stamps and coins and anything related to turtles and cactuses.

A memorial fund has been established in Murray's memory.

Please sign the online guest book for Murray at under obituaries.

Published in The Gazette Aug. 27, 2013.