George Edward Marks

George Edward Marks departed peacefully from this life on August 17, 2026 surrounded by his wife, sons, brother-in-law and sister-in-law. George was born to William Edward Marks and Elizabeth Frances Miller Marks on September 17, 1952, in Durham, North Carolina. George spent his first three years on Breeze Road in Rougemont, North Carolina, just down the road from his maternal grandparents, Henry & Hassie McKee Miller. His family roots in Orange County, North Carolina, predate the founding of this country. When he wasn’t in Rougemont, he was with his paternal grandmother, Belle Shearin Marks in Durham, North Carolina. His paternal grandfather, Clemmon Mack Marks, had died in 1945. In 1955, the family moved to town and settled in north Chapel Hill, North Carolina, shortly after the arrival of the Marks’ second child of the family, Carl Wayne Marks. For the next six decades, Bill and Elizabeth “Lib” Marks welcomed the growing families of their sons to the family’s eight-acre city-farm place on Weaver Dairy Road, at the time very rural and far removed from city limits of that city. His mother and father both died in the home they loved and enjoyed so long. George told friends many stories over the years of his days growing up on the farm in town as well as the old home place, and all the cars that his father and brother worked on and raced up and down the hills around Chapel Hill.

George was a member at a young age of the Baptist church. It was at his first church home, North Chapel Hill Baptist Church, then McDuffie Baptist Church, that he met the love of his life, Pamela Jane Sharpe. It was also there that he enjoyed singing with the choir and sometimes played the piano for the services. His rich baritone added to many weddings and funerals from his church. George never hesitated breaking out in song, especially to beach music and golden oldies from the 1950’s and 1960’s. It was also through his church that George joined the Boy Scouts of America, eventually earning his Eagle Scout status. George traveled to Philmont, New Mexico in 1967 with his troop as Assistant Scout Leader and often told the story of waking to a very large grizzly bear all but kissing him and snorting in his face as it left the primitive tent camping area. George also traveled to the National Jamboree in 1969. He would often share that while there, the troops watched a movie of the moon landing in the meeting hall, and he had another run-in with wildlife. While his group was waiting outside, George had to run around the main building to catch up with his group and ran smack into a moose, surprising them both.

Always athletic, George played football in high school and was active in local bowling leagues growing up and as an adult, men’s softball leagues and coaching Little League baseball for his son’s teams, as well as others. His love of baseball led him to collecting trading cards, amassing an amazing collection before his retirement. George was also a former active member of the Marietta Jaycees.

George graduated from Chapel Hill High School in 1970. He attended and graduated from Wingate College near Charlotte, North Carolina, in 1972 with an Associate Decree in General Studies. George married his first wife, Pamela Jane Sharpe, also a native of Orange County, following her high school graduation. George and Pamela were married on September 22, 1973, and enjoyed over 42 years of marriage before her passing on December 18, 2015. George began to complete his college work at North Carolina State University in Engineering, but a car accident, then gas rationing and supporting his family, got in the way. George and Pamela welcomed the birth of their first child, George Edward “Eddie” Marks, Jr. in February 1978. They moved from the Chapel Hill area in July 1978 to Marietta, Georgia to accept a job for George. For two years, George worked with Byers Engineering as a field engineer, designing conduit runs for Southern Bell and developing a manhole design department for the company to work throughout the South.

In November 1980, George began a two-decade association with the firm Cable Consultants, developing their underground construction department, eventually working with Southern Bell, AT&T, Cable Atlanta, Tellus, Georgia Power and other companies across the South. George had a sharp memory and would speak often of the work done at University of Georgia, Kennesaw University, North Georgia College, Gordon College and Georgia Tech. He often shared his stories of going to North Dakota in the winter, leaving Atlanta in a t-shirt and packing his coat, only to arrive in a 60 below windchill, as well as trying to find “sweet tea” that was cold, not hot, in the local restaurants. In March 1982, George and Pamela welcomed their second child, Adam Monroe Marks.

In the Spring of 2003, Cable Consultants was sold to a competitor and former staff were released. George and Pamela used their combined business knowledge to begin Pro Tech Utility Construction, Inc. and put their now grown sons to work. For the next two decades, the company did work all over Georgia and in a few of the surrounding states, installing underground fiber as needed, working many times with Home Depot. In 2016, Pro Tech branched out and developed an inside wiring department, but a number of factors took the company back to what it did best, digging, a job that George loved doing whether by hand or with one of his oversized toys, like his trencher, Case skid steer or Bobcat trackhoe.

All the while George and his sons were working, Pamela was becoming more disabled due to strokes and brain issues. Pamela died just before Christmas in 2015. Following a period of mourning, friends encouraged George to take steps to meet someone new. In the late Spring of 2016, George met Mary Jackson Duffe and began dating. Mary and George would marry at Thanksgiving of 2018 with special friends and family serving as attendants and many good friends sharing in the special day.

George continued on with Pro Tech and realized a life-long dream by opening an automobile restoration company in February 2016. Growing up, George, his father and brother always worked on cars of one kind or another. George would often tell stories of the number of cars that went through the property on Weaver Dairy Road over the years. When George started Rust 2 Show Restomods, LLC, he personally owned over 40 cars, a majority of them what he called “projects,” but what other friends and family might have considered “junk”, that dated from 1933 into the 1970’s. George found that working on cars gave him a peace that smoothed the edges of what else was going on in his life. George never met a stranger, especially if cars were the topic of discussion. George officially closed both businesses in February 2022 and sold off his projects, saving a few for special attention.

Amidst all the work, and renovation of his and Mary’s home for over seven years, there were also the medical issues. George gave a powerful witness to the power of prayer and faith when he shared his medical journey with others, especially in the infusion room at North Georgia Oncology Center and Wellstar Kennestone Hospital. On Friday, February 23, 2018, George should have died. He had finished work for the day and was leaving his shop in Dallas when he collapsed at the door frame. It was discovered later that he had at least four issues that should have killed him on the spot. Through the work of the talented physicians and staff at Kennestone Hospital, especially those involved in cancer treatment, a very rare form of thymus gland cancer was discovered and treated over the ensuing years. George endured physical therapy, numerous surgeries, multiple rounds of regular and Cyber Knife radiation therapy and multiple rounds of chemotherapy. George rocked his Telly Savalas hairstyle. Initially given 3 to 7 years of life after diagnosis, George endured nearly 8½ years. He was never shy about sharing his story with other people afflicted with cancer. A weaker personality probably could not have survived as long, as his friends know, George was a strong personality and was determined to not let cancer beat him. Following a cold that never quit led him to learn of his contracting myelodysplastic myeloproliferative neoplasms (MDS/MPN) bone marrow cancer in late April 2025. Less than a week later, another scan showed George had thymic squamous cell carcinoma in his brain. May 2, 2025, George underwent brain surgery to remove the largest, lemon-sized mass, with the two smaller masses receiving radiation. He often commented that Medicare probably had a hit out on him because he’d accumulated over four million dollars in billing for care since 2018. Follow-up appointments in August 2025 revealed a shortened time left, and yet another condition, CMML or Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia, which further shortened his time until it transitioned to Acute Myeloid Leukemia during his final month. George gave cancer a run for its money to the very end. He hoped that by enduring what he did, it would aid other doctors in treating their patients with these rare cancers. Special thanks are given to doctors Ravikanth, Wachs, Kaufman, Miller, Price, McLaughlin, Ferro, Payne and especially Dr. John French for all they did since diagnosis for their treatment, care and concern.

George is survived by his wife, Mary, sons Eddie and Adam, and his brother, Carl. George was grandfather of and much loved by Eddie’s son, Asher Marks; Adam’s girlfriend, Nikki Anglin and her children, Maddie Anglin and Cliff Conlon; Carl’s daughters Cynthia Marks Macalino and Catherine Marks Johnson and their families; grandson of his heart, David Pounds; his brother in law Tony Sharpe and his family; stepchildren Jackson and Laura Duffe and six grand nieces and nephews, fourteen cousins on both the Miller and Marks sides of the family, family of his heart in Pamela’s Sharpe family and many friends in Georgia and North Carolina. Special thanks for their several decades of fun and prayers to Don and Diane Long, longtime friends of George, Pamela and Mary who were frequent Canasta partners and meal companions.

George’s wish was cremation with his ashes to be scattered by family at a later date. A visitation and light celebration of a life well lived will be held from 1pm to 4pm on Saturday, August 29, 2026, at West Cobb Funeral Home. George was never a formal person, so if attending the celebration, friends are asked to dress casually. And if you’d like, wear something in George’s favorite color of red (which he reminded people was for NC State, not Georgia) in remembrance of George and his fiery passion for life.