Dianne Marks
Dianne Marks
Dianne Fleming Marks, of Oro Valley, Ariz., passed away peacefully with family at her bedside on the morning of Dec. 29, 2025, after a two-week hospital stay.
Born to Claude and Sarah Fleming in Monroe, Ga., in 1942, Dianne attended Monroe High School where she was a member of the Monroe Girls Corps and marched as a drum majorette in the 1959 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. She received her B.A. from Emory University in Atlanta, Ga., and after graduation joined the Southern Bell Telephone Company’s first management program for women. She met the love of her life, medical student Bill Marks, on a blind date and they married Dec. 23, 1966.
During the Vietnam War they lived in Okinawa, Japan, where Bill was a physician. Over the years they lived in Dallas, Texas, Charleston, S.C., and Easley, S.C. Dianne worked as a real estate agent in Charleston, S.C. After both daughters went to college, Dianne got her master’s degree from Clemson University and she and Bill moved to Greensboro, N.C., where Dianne was a professor of sociology at a community college. She and Bill retired to Oro Valley, Ariz. where they found a wonderful community of dear friends.
Dianne loved deeply and had a fabulous zest for life. From driving her red Miata convertible to soaking up the sun gazing out at the ocean (drink in hand) to laughing with her friends and family and cheering on her beloved Georgia Bulldogs, she knew what carpe diem meant. Her legacy lives on every time someone puts on an outfit with a little more bling than usual. Every time someone flips the tassel on their graduation cap after fighting for their right to be educated. Every time people start living their lives to the fullest.
Dianne is survived by her daughters, Honor Marks and Kate Marks Sojka (Jeff); two grandchildren, Nat Sojka and Charlie Jordan; her sister-in-law, Ginger Espy Page (Bill); and nieces and nephews. We are certain she has reunited with our dad, her beloved husband of 55 years, who preceded her in death.
In honor of Dianne’s exuberance, family and friends gathered for a champagne toast celebrating her life on New Year’s Eve day in Tucson, Ariz. Dianne and Bill’s ashes will return to Augusta, Ga., for a private interment in Westover Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, donations in Dianne’s memory may be made to Doctors Without Borders.
Robert “Bob” Harold Ross
Robert “Bob” Harold Ross
Robert “Bob” Harold Ross passed away at his nursing home on Jan. 3, 2026, in Williamsburg, Va., at age 80, following his battle with Parkinson’s disease. He was born on Feb. 24, 1945, in Port Huron, Mich., the son of G. Gordon Ross, Jr. and Winona (Snowdon) Ross, and the brother of Ruth Claire (Ross) Dickinson, all of whom have predeceased him.
He is survived by: his beloved wife, Theda L. Rudd; his son, David W. Rudd Ross (Mackenzie L. lsrael-Trummel); and his two grandchildren, Amina Z. Rudd-Trummel (7) and Demetrius P. Israel-Ross (4), who lovingly called him “GrandBob.”
He was very proud of his affiliation with top-rated firms in their fields: in sales for Bastian-Blessing Foodservice Equipment, as an independent owner/operator of two McDonald’s Restaurants in Grand Rapids, Mich., and in management with Ross and Associates Marketing, Inc. for 27 years, also in Grand Rapids. He was proud of his military service from 1967 through 1969 as a Captain in the Quartermaster Corps of the U.S. Army.
He served his community by volunteering and serving on boards of directors for various local U.S. Junior Chambers, Urban Leagues, Ronald McDonald Houses, Boy Scouts of America, the Tri-Community Food Bank (AZ), and similar business and professional organizations.
Bob and Theda resided in Okemos, Mich., until their retirement to the SaddleBrooke community in Tucson, Ariz., in 2013. They then relocated to Williamsburg, Va., in 2020 to be near their family.
A Celebration of Life service was held at Whiting’s Funeral Home in Williamsburg, Va., on Jan. 17. In lieu of flowers, please consider a contribution in Bob’s memory to the Ronald McDonald House of Mid-Michigan or to a charity of your choice.
Full obituary can be read at whitingsfuneralhome.com.