Marks Family; Walnut Creek, CA

Elma Harriett Roth is the daughter of Johann Heinrich 'Henry' Roth (1882-1949) and Anna Schwabenland (1885-1979). She was born on April 1, 1917 in Fresno, California and had siblings Christina (1906-1907), Katherine (1908-1908), Henry Jr (1910-1982), and Helen Loraine Roth (1925-2004). She married Walter Marks (1915-1999) in 1939 at the Zion Congregational Church and they had two sons together, Neil and Gordon. As said in the Elma Harriet Marks: Obituary, "Elma was blessed with a keen wit, a compassionate way of listening, and an independent, feisty spirit that enabled her to live on her own until the age of 87. She rose every morning 6:00 a.m. and would start the day by reading the newspaper. She was curious and interested in the world, and was knowledgeable about politics and current events." Elma was a long-time member of Trinity Lutheran Church and a member of the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia where she frequently volunteered in a way to supporting her family heritage that she cherished so much.

Neil W. Marks was married to Pam (Kroetch) Marks in 1999. Family, friend, or fan, this family history biography is for you to remember Neil W. Marks.

Walter Marks is the son of Johann 'Henry' Markus/Marks (1870-1949) and Margaret Elizabeth Kerner (1879-1941). He was born on July 27, 1915 in Fresno, California and had siblings John Henry Jr (1898-1908), Katherine Elizabeth (1900-1983), Conrad (1901-1955), Ethel (1904-1986), Charles Karl (1905-1987), James Peter (1907-1991), Henry (1910-1974), Alex (1913-1992), Ernest (1918-2019), and Leroy Thomas Marks (1923-2011). He married Elma Harriett Roth (1917-2005) in June of 1938. Together they had sons Neil and Gordon. He enlisted and served in the United States Navy during WWII aboard the U.S.S Ara. Walter was a member of the Edison Social Club, the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, and the American Legion 509.