Julius Marks

Julius was born into time on November 4, 1943 in Gurdon, Arkansas to the union of James G. Marks, Sr. and Lucille Williams Marks. His experiences taught him to love all mankind. His parents instilled in him Christian values and hard work. Coming from a large family of nine her learned to share and the virtue of patience. He accepted Christ as his personal savior at a very young age uniting with the Mt. Canaan Baptist Church family. He later rededicated his life to the Lord. In earlier years he had a special friend, Dorothy Miller and this relationship produced his first child, Ericka. At the age of 21 on June 17, 1964 he married Gloria Bradshaw and to this union four children were born; Teresa, Julian, Tina and Kevin. Although their marriage would end they made many sacrifices to raise and nurture their children. Julius was a “self-taught” mechanic and he could fix anything with wheels. One of his greatest joys was racing cars. Every Saturday and Sunday he would load his truck with as many as could fit to go watch him race. He won many championships and was very proud of his accomplishments. In 1996 his need for speed landed him the Street State Championship by the Arkansas Drag Racing Association at the Prescott Raceway. His legacy of fixing cars and racing cars lives on through his sons. Julius’ commitments to everyone and everything that concerned him were evident throughout his life. Julius later married Micki Fields on November 19, 1997 and to this union two children were born, Shauna and Coty. On Friday, October 4, 2013, his life's book was closed, his mission completed – Julius was called to rest. He was preceded in death by his parents, James Marks, Sr. and Lucille Marks Cunningham (1997) and two brothers, James Marks, Jr. (2004) and Johnnie Lee Marks (2010). He leaves precious and fond memories to be cherished by ten loving children: Ericka (Supt. Robert) Davis of Arkadelphia, AR, Teresa (Charles) Shepard of Gurdon, AR, Julian Marks of Gurdon, AR, Tina (Leon) Johnson of Arkadelphia, AR, Kevin Marks of Camden, AR, Shauna Marks of Malvern, AR, Coty Marks of Conway, AR, LaTanya (Dave) Geary, Monica Marlow and Stephanie (Terry) Anderson; thirty-one grandchildren, fifteen great-grandchildren; three sisters, Annie Jean (Billy) Lockhart of Gurdon, AR, Annie Bell McNeil of Gurdon, AR, and Fannie Bell Sheppard of Gurdon, AR; three brothers, Oscar (Demita) Marks of Gurdon, AR, Willie L. Marks of Hot Springs, AR and Henry L. (Laura) Marks of Greenville, SC; one uncle, David (Ruth) Hawthorne of Arkadelphia, and two aunts, Naomi Samuels of Joliet, IL, and Jearline Marks of Atlanta, GA. He also leaves a host of nieces, nephews, numerous cousins and countless friends. Public visitation will be Friday, October 11th from 12 noon until 7pm. The family will receive friend from 6-7 pm at the funeral home. His life will be celebrated at 11 am on Saturday, October 12th at Mt. Canaan Baptist Church officiated by Rev. Johnny Harris. Interment will be in Rose Hedge Cemetery.