Steven "Doc" Marks
October 18, 1946 ~ April 18, 2020
Born in:
Forest City, NC
Resided in:
Fletcher, NC
Asheville Butterfly TrailOn April 18, 2020 at 73 and 1/2 years of age, the world lost a very unique and powerful soul.
Steven L. Marks was known to many as “Doc” but to many more as a friend, jokester and a straight shooter. He made his peace with his time in the service – US Army, 3rd battalion, 11th brigade, 23rd Infantry- and took advantage of every moment in spite of his battle with cancer.
Those of us left behind choose to remember the gifts we were given and the moments that defined him in our minds; memories that will be faithfully passed down.
Steve asked that in lieu of flowers, you please consider a donation to the Food Pantry at Calvary Episcopal Church in Fletcher.
A celebration of Steve’s life will be held at a later date.
My love is with you to your end, yours will be with me until mine.
Groce Funeral Home at Lake Julian is assisting the family.
Services
Funeral Home Assisting The Family:
Groce Funeral Home at Lake Julian
72 Long Shoals Road
Arden, NC 28704
(828)687-3530
http://grocefuneralhome.com
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America lost a great warrior. Thanks for the laughs and fun conversations.
Jack and Carol Romine
You touched many lives, Doc. As I told you in your last days, you have been a wonderful man to my mother these last 15 years and for that I will be forever grateful. R.I.P. brother…
How much character can you measure out of someone who was always thinking of others and always had maintained a such a fantastic sense of humor even in the most painful last hours? You were the measuring stick and the bar set for others to reach in that amount of character. Thank you for being just like a father to me all those years. A big piece of the family has gone on to new adventures. No mistake- you were and still are family.
Brett Bartlett
George, (Steve), this is Margaret here, yes wooden leg and all. I first want to thank you for all the laughter you gave me over the years and for always being there for my very special sister. You were a tough old dude but with a heart of gold. I’m so thankful you joined the family and you will always be a part of it no matter where your new journey takes you. Gene says thank you for being the man you were. Love ya and will miss you more than you thought we would.
My deepest sympathies for your loss.
Doc was a incredible person ,I am so saddened to know he is gone, I am so glad that I got the honor of knowing him. I enjoyed doing his hair and listening to some crazy stories, he always made me laugh. He was kind ,extremely funny ,I will sure miss talking with him and hearing about his family .He Was a Great man and he will truly be missed . My condolences and deepest sorrow to Marie and his family , Doc was one of a kind 💜
Doc was such an inspiration to my whole family. He was a mentor and truly great friend to us all. We loved him dearly and will miss him forever. We will see you in the next life Doc Marks, rest in peace my friend!
I was just thinking about my old friend Doc Marks, and wanted to leave a few words here.
“a few words”
There, what more were you expecting? 🙂
Doc would smile at that, remind me of my utter inferiority as a Man, then require me to squat until I puke…. “or until my legs fall off, whichever happens first”.
But seriously, I appreciate Doc and his life, he taught me so much priceless knowledge and had so many stories to share, from Vietnam and “how it really happened” from a soldier on the ground perspective, to bodybuilding stories that almost no one knows and have never even been written about.
Did you know it was Doc that picked Arnold Schwarzenegger up at the airport when he arrived in America for the first time to train with Arthur Jones at the Nautilus Facility in Deland, FL? He told me that Arthur sent him with a white poster board, with the word “schwartsnigger” written on it in ballpoint pen, as unprofessionally as possible. Arthur began calling Arnie his “dumb hun” after Arnold told Art that he was pump-ed after one of his work outs…. as spoken “pump ed”, like speaking the name Ed after the word pump…. Art said, “it’s pumped, you dumb hun”, name that stuck with Arnold during his tenure at the Nautilus Facility. He didn’t stay long, between Art Jones and his relentless degradation, and Casey Viator’s absolute superiority in strength and physique, The Nautilus Facility was not the best place for a guy like Arnie to get his ego pump ed.
I could share a hundred or more stories like this, that “the old man” Doc told me while we were hanging out in the gym. After I bought all Doc’s machines, he came by my house for years afterward to train me, until he got really sick. To this day I’ve never trained that hard, puking at least once out of every 10 workouts, shaking uncontrollably, nearly to the point of tears running down my face working legs with the old man in my ear “you’re not going to quit because of pain, are you, Jason?” If I could manage to speak it was “No. Absolutely not. Never. No Sir.” Doc really had a knack for “lighting a fire” inside me.
Although I still miss Doc, he assured me that “everything is going to be just fine”.
See you in future, Doc. You will never be forgotten.