Obituaries for Tom Martin, Robert Moose, and Clyde Marks Jr.

In the past nine months I have lost three family members in my close family. None of them had obituaries that are available online and I wanted them to be available outside of Find A Grave.

The first was my great uncle, Tom Martin, who passed in June. My family in Del City had a small memorial service, but no formal obituary was written or published, so I wrote one myself. It will be available here and on Find A Grave.

Tom Lynn Martin was born May 7th, 1953 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma to Thomas William and Pauline (Clements) Martin. He passed away June 6^th, 2019 in Oklahoma City.

He grew up in Del City, Oklahoma, where he graduated high school in 1971. He then attended Oklahoma Baptist University, where he graduated with a degree in Business. He then worked for the Oklahoma Tax Commission as an auditor for many years. He later traded commodities independently, and held various salesman positions. He got to travel for his work a lot, and his favorite place to visit was Chicago. He was a hard worker and a gifted salesman due to his genuine interest in and care for his customers.

He was passionate about music from a young age. He was a gifted clarinetist in school, and later learned to play the drums and guitar. He enjoyed jamming with his friends and nephews as often as he could.

Tom helped in taking great care of his parents during their lifetimes, and was always a generous, unselfish person to friends and family alike.

He married the love of his life, Nila Smith, in 1999. He was a deeply devoted, faithful, and loving husband, and considered his marriage to her the greatest thing that ever happened to him. He loved to travel with her and listen to her sing.

Tom was strong in his Christian faith, growing up in the First Southern Baptist Church in Del City, and later being active with the Church of the First Born and the Del City Church of Christ. He enjoyed researching his family history and athletics, playing baseball when he was young and watching OU football and softball as often as he could. One of his favorite rituals was watching the Softball College World Series with his sister Gerri every year.

He will be remembered for his big heart, compassionate demeanor, and wonderful sense of humor.

Tom is survived by his loving wife Nila of Del City, sisters Gerri Day and Mary Osborne of Del City, nephews Edward Osborne Jr., Tom Osborne, Marty Marks, and Geary Marks, nieces Gerri Ford and Tina Haider, and numerous great and great great nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents and brothers-in-law, Charles Day and Eugene Osborne. He was cremated and his ashes were retained by the family.

Written by his great nephew Nathan Marks.

Tom Martin

Next was my grandfather Clyde Earl Marks Jr. on December. I did not write his obituary and it was not published online as no funeral service has been held; a memorial will be held this summer when his military headstone is ready. His obituary was published in the Johnston County Sentinel on 19 Dec 2019.

Clyde Earl Marks, Jr. was born June 9, 1938, to Clyde Marks St. and Marie (Barnett) Marks in Oklahoma City, Okla. He passed away on Dec. 5, 2019, at his home in East Tawakoni, Texas, after a recent illness.

Clyde moved to Wapanucka, Okla. when he was 7 and graduated from Wapanucka School in 1956. A year after graduation, he joined the Air Force and worked in aircraft maintenance. Clyde served during the Vietnam War, and was awarded the Bronze Star. He achieved the rank of Master Sergeant and spent 20 years serving.

He retired and moved back to Wapanucka and earned an associate degree from Murray State College. He later obtained his Bachelor’s Degree from Oklahoma State University.

He married Karen Baumert in August, 1981. They lived in Wapanucka, then moved to East Tawakoni when he went to work for E Systems out of Greenville, Texas. While working for the company he also worked in North Carolina and Florida. Clyde retired in 2003 and they returned to their home in East Tawakoni.

He was a member of the American Legion in West Tawakoni, Texas. He also was a member of the Woodturner’s Club near his home. He loved spending time with his children and grandchildren, and showing them how to make things in his wood shop. He loved watching westerns and reading Louis L’Amour.

Clyde was preceded in death by his parents, Clyde Marks Sr. and Marie Barnett Marks; as well as a grandson, Carson Edwin Reed.

He is survived by his wife, Karen, of East Tawakoni; his children, Teriki Barnes and husband James of Durant, Okla., Mariki Scott of Owasso, Okla., Chiyaki Marks of Claremore, Okla., Miyuki Boone of Deerpark, Texas, Haruki Marks of Oklahoma City, Masaki Marks and wife Jodi of Tishomingo, Okla., Geary Marks and wife Carrie of Williamsburg, Va., Martin Marks and wife Melissa of Onsted, Mich., Deborah Blankenship of Quinlan, Texas, Sherry Yochum and husband Marvin of Tishomingo, Marlene Barnes and husband Allan of Granbury, Texas, Harland Smith and wife Michelle of Lakeland, Fla., Kari Reed of East Tawakoni, Phillip Smith and wife Kimi of Searchlight, Nev., and Lisa Smith of Quinlan, Texas; a brother, Bob Marks of Mad River, Calif.; and a sister, Deloris Bates of Wapanucka.

He is also survived by 38 grandchildren, 39 great-grandchildren and four great-great grandchildren.

At his request, there are no services planned at this time. Arrangements are being handled by Ingram Funeral Home in Quinlan, Texas. The family will hold a memorial service at a later time.

Clyde Marks

Most recently, in January my cousin Robert Moose died. He was my mother's only maternal first cousin and though we never met in person except perhaps when I was a very small child, we communicated via social media relatively often and he was a person I really enjoyed and admired. He did not have a formal obituary published, so I wrote one for him as well with help from his mother.

Robert Patrick Moose passed away unexpectedly from an undiagnosed medical condition at his home in Oklahoma City on January 12th, 2020.

Robert was born February 11th, 1977 in Oklahoma City to Dr. Robert "Ronnie" and Patti (Haggerty) Moose. He graduated from Putnam North High School in 1995 and went on to attend the University of Central Oklahoma.

Robert acquired his ham radio license at the age of 14. He worked for the State of Oklahoma with the Employment Security Commission. He also worked in assisting meteorological staff at Channel 4 news in Oklahoma City when needed during severe weather events.

Robert was a local celebrity of sorts with his reporting on local news events via Twitter, where he amassed a following of nearly 5000 and was regularly recognized for wit, humor, and insight into the happenings of the Oklahoma City Metro area. The significance of his contributions have been acknowledged by numerous local figures including Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt, as well as local police and fire departments.

Robert is survived by his parents of Oklahoma City and numerous cousins, friends, and admirers. He was preceded in death by a sister, Nikki, and his grandparents. Services took place January 17th and burial was at Rose Hill Burial Park in Oklahoma City.

Written by his cousin, Nathan Marks. 

Robert Moose

I will miss them all more than I can say. Tom and my Grandpa Clyde were huge genealogical resources for me. Both researched our family histories themselves and were treasure troves of information. Robert too did some research in the early 2000s that was my jumping off point for my research on our Moose family. They were all three very kind individuals and I think of them often.