Robert "Mark" Markham

Living and now deceased south Florida legend Mark Martin Markham will be celebrated this Sunday at TM Ralph Funeral home. Visiting hours will be 12:00-1:00. A short service with family and friends will occur at 1:00 with continued visiting hours thereafter.

Mark was born in Athens, Ohio to Robert Markham and Madolyn Janette Pickett on July, 9th 1944. We can only guess that he came into this world with the same loud, independent spirit that he embraced the rest of his life. Robert and Madolyn met in the twilight of the depression and married in 1939. Like many other of this “greatest generation, Robert went oversees to World War Two at age of twenty-seven- an ancient age for volunteering in those days. He along with many would have an experience that would ripple throughout their lives and the lives of those they loved- also true for Madolyn, brother Bill, and Mark.

Shortly after coming back from the war, Mark was born on July 7th 1944. Robert would move the family to South Florida to leave post-war trauma and Athens county behind. They would depart with nothing except what they could pack in the car and a two carat diamond ring in case of emergency that Madolyn proudly wore for 80 + years.

Mark the Son

It is here in Florida where Mark spent his formative years. From the beginning, Mark had an indepedent streak that he would call being bull-headed with a ounce of pride and smirk that many of us know. Tragically, Robert Markham would pass in 1965 leaving behind an amazing legacy as Broward Property Appraiser and huge hole for Brother Bill, Madonlyn, and Mark. It was a legacy picked up by brother Bill who became a legend in own right in South Florida in the same role as his father. This history is memorialized even today at Markham Park fittingly on the edge of the everglades.

Mark had a different path and was a restless youth- he often butted heads with rules, convention, and anyone that told him how to conduct his life. It was mother Madolyn whose unwavering support and belief in Mark bailed him out of more than one jam. It was something that Mark never forgot and inspired a fierce loyalty and love that bound them together for all 100 years of her life.

Luckily, Mark found music and cars in his teen years, which were both gifts that he would share with the world for the rest of his life. In the Garage rock years in South Florida he will be forever remembered for Friday nights at the Armory. It’s said that you need 10,000 hours to become an expert at anything. He put those hours and more into his love of music and performing here in South Florida. It was also where he developed that charisma and stage presence that many of us will hold close to our hearts for years to come.

Mark the Musician

Noticed locally and nationally, Mark landed an RCA record contract that propelled him into the music scene with his Jesters. Like many artists in the 60s, Mark took his talents to Greenwich village where he packed up to play at bars like the Café Wah and Gaslight Café. These were some of Mark’s most prodigious musical moments where he had a top fifty hit, rubbed shoulders with musicians and artists like Bob Dylan and Andy Warhol, duck-walked with Chuck Berry, and opened for the Rolling Stones.

Mark the Philosopher King

It was not long after that the lights and chaos of New York lost it’s appeal for Mark and the solace of the local color and dark woods of Meigs county pulled Mark back to Ohio as they would throughout his life. Here Mark put his life savings into land that was part of the Family’s original granted homestead where Madolyn was born. Mark had a saying for everything and as he would remind many of us- “Dirt- they just aren’t making more of it”. It was at the bottom field of that property that Mark married his first wife and long-time friend Linda Frohne.

In the Southeast Ohio, Mark found kindred spirits that shared the same independent streak and love for life on the edge- many of which were bandmates in the aptly named Bogus Brothers. It was during this time that Mark pursued a Masters that focused on Film, Photography, and Philosophy. He also wrote prodigiously for his band and was never without a project restore a classic car. Whether it was in the sting of his lyric’s- “if this is love I want my money back”, the raging flame on a 58 chevy, or a death picture that shocked his masters classmates- Mark had a way of making everyone want to catch a bit of what makes us all feel alive and unbridled.

Mark the Father

It was also during this era that Mark became a father of three with Janalee Stock- mother of Jesse Stock, Bob Branch Markham, and Marseille Markham. If there was anything that made Mark more proud than his music or his cars- it was the pride that he felt for his children. You always knew that Mark was in the stands because he would yell something that only you and he understood- usually when it was absolutely quiet. One of Mark’s greatest gifts was advice, which was almost always short, generous, and from a lived experience. He had a charisma in life that made him enjoyed by everyone, but held his love tight- reserved for his family.

Mark the Naturalist

Later in Life, Mark appreciated nature, solitude, and simplicity. Whether it was feeding baby ducks in the canal behind his house, watching squirrels from the porch at Hemlock Grove in Ohio, taking a long four-wheeler ride to “Grandmas” massive Oak Tree, or looking out at the rolling hills of Meigs with cherished Uncle Charles- he had some of his most peaceful moments of life in nature with family and friends.

Mark and the Finale

In the eulogy of a friend that Mark held dear- he underlined “No price is too high to pay for owning oneself.” It was words that embodied how Mark lived and gave him some peace in the end. Mark would often quote his good friend Bryon- “Well you know Mark- we’re all terminal. It’s what you do in between.” It was a wild ride, there were beautiful moments of pride in a life lived with a radical spirit. There were also honest moments of fear, love, and remembrance as Mark confronted what we all must one day. Most of all Mark wanted to be with friends and family- a wish that was granted by his children and cousin Lori Legette. Mark is survived by his trusted dog Rocco and everyone he touched.