Radee Marks

Radee MarksRadee Marks did a great number of charitable things in her lifetime.A life not lived in vainRadee Marks, a resident of Paradise Valley since 1978, died in Newport Beach, Calif. Nov. 19 following surgery.Ms. Marks was born in St. Paul, Minn. and grew up in Minneapolis.After her family moved to Los Angeles, she attended Beverly Hills and Los Angeles. High Schools.Later, her family moved to Phoenix and Ms. Marks graduated from North High School.She attended the University of Southern California and was a member of Alpha Epsilon Phi sorority.She married Merton Marks in Phoenix on May 20, 1965.Ms. Marks was active and a leader in many charitable and cultural organizations which greatly benefited the community. She was a volunteer for the Phoenix Children"s Hospital.After their youngest daughter was killed by a drunk driver, Ms. Marks became active in Mothers Against Drunk Driving and, later, a board member.She founded and became president of Sunshine Celiac Group, a local support organization for persons with Celiac-Sprue disease from which she had suffered her entire life.She later became a member of the board of directors of the national organization CSA USA, and worked with gastroenterologists to provide increased patient education.She was president of the Arizona Chapter of the United Order of True Sisters, a national philanthropic organization helping underprivileged children.Ms. Marks was a founding member of Camp Rainbow, a camp for children with cancer and was a volunteer for the American Cancer Society.She was a member of the Temple Beth Israel Sisterhood Board of Directors.She was an opera lover and served on the Board of Directors of the Arizona Opera League.She co-chaired the League"s 1997 Opera Ball which raised a record amount of money for The Arizona Opera Company.She later declined the presidency of the League to devote more time to her family.Ms. Marks contributed greatly to her husband"s professional career as a partner in the Lewis and Roca law firm and more recently as an arbitrator and mediator.Ms. Marks studied piano, was an avid reader, a card player, loved to work word puzzles and was also a golfer.Before she gave up golf because of a back injury, she won several trophies in women"s golf tournaments.For the last eight and a half years, Ms. Marks suffered from ovarian cancer.She never gave up even while undergoing multiple chemotherapies and surgeries and was very involved in ovarian cancer support groups.Believing that there was inadequate understanding and awareness of the disease, she was active in promoting federal legislation to fund further research into the disease and increase awareness.Private services were held in Newport Beach, and interment was in Greenwood Memory Lawn Mausoleum in Phoenix. Persons wishing to make contributions in Ms. Marks" memory may do so to The Elaine Marks Ianchiou Camp Fund at Temple Beth Israel, 10460 N.56th St., Scottsdale, AZ 85253. The fund provides scholarships for children to attend Camp Charles Pearlstein.