Louisa Marks

Marks Family logo

**Louisa M. Marks** was an American English teacher and the matriarch of The Marks Family.

## Early Life

Luíza Maria Torres was born on Monday January 22, 1945 in Oceanside, California to maintenance worker Antonio “Tony” Torres and administrative assistant Rosa Mendes. Antonio and Rosa had immigrated from Ciudad Juárez in 1937. Luíza was the victim of bullying as a child and teenager, which led to her changing the spelling of her name from Luíza to Louisa.

Louisa graduated from Oceanside High School in 1963, Louisa was lucky enough to be offered a full scholarship to study English at Santa Clara University. Louisa graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English in 1967, Louisa went on to graduate from Loyola Marymount University with a Master of Arts in School Administration in 1969.

## Career

Louisa began her career as a teaching assistant at San Fernando High School in 1969, she became a substitute teacher in 1970 and a full time teacher in 1972. Throughout her career, Louisa often worked with underprivileged children and was known for her work ethic and caring nature.

## Personal Life

Louisa had a chance meeting with James B. Marks in 1968 and the two subsequently married in 1969. At the time they met, Louisa was a student at Loyola Marymount University and James was a student at Washington State University, they met during the summer of 1968 at a local cafe in San Fernando, California. Louisa and James began their marriage in a long distance situation until James graduated in 1970 and returned to Los Angeles. Louisa and James had four children, two sons: Richard and Sean, and two daughters, Charlotte and Rhonda. Louisa also had 3 grandchildren, including Margaret Marks.

Louisa had an especially strong bond with her granddaughter Margaret, Margaret even learned Spanish to be able to speak with her grandmother in her native language. Louisa gave Margaret the nickname Peggy, after her childhood best friend Margaret "Peggy" Lloyd. After Margaret left to attend the School of American Ballet in New York City in 2008, the two kept in touch almost daily on the phone.

## Death and Legacy

Louisa was born with a congenital heart condition, a condition she wasn’t diagnosed with until early adulthood. Louisa had suffered from heart issues most of her adult life, her health issues culminated in a minor heart attack in 2005. Despite her health issues, Louisa kept working for as long as she could. In 2009 Louisa suffered from a second heart attack, she was hospitalized but never recovered and passed away from complications of her condition in October 2009 aged 64. Louisa was survived by her husband James, children Richard, Rhonda, Sean and Charlotte, and 3 grandchildren, Margaret, Christopher and James Bradley.

Margaret who was only 13 when Louisa passed, and unbeknownst to her family was being sexually abused at the time, took Louisa’s death especially hard. James took his wife’s death hard at first, however he eventually came to realize that she’d always be with him in spirit.

Louisa was remembered for her commitment to helping children learn English and for her tireless dedication to combating bullying in the school system. She was posthumously awarded several awards for her community service and contributions to education. Santa Clara University created a scholarship in her honor which aims to help students from less privileged backgrounds attend college and work in the education industry.