Orville "John" Marks age 81, died on Tuesday, April 8, 2025 at Prairie Ridge Health in Columbus.  He was born in Madison, Wisconsin on March 25, 1944 to Orville Julius and Charlotte Semanda (Bjoraas) Marks. John was married to Susan Faulkner.  John had a remarkable life and career.  His mechanical aptitude and cheerful outlook led him down a very fulfilling career and life. John started out selling auto parts to local dealerships. At this time, he became a member of the Freemasons.  He was an EMT for a number of years in Madison.  John began working in the Middleton area and became a school bus driver and did all of the maintenance work for the school district. John took this experience and climbed the ladder to become the maintenance superintendent for the Westfield school district, where he built a new high school. His credibility in this area led to his moving to the Whitewater school district where he built another new high school and ran that school district maintenance program for another decade. Upon retirement, he and Susan moved to Beaver Dam to be closer to family, eventually making a final move to Columbus.  John loved nothing more than flying his Cessnas, watching the Packers and Brewers, golfing, fishing, traveling, hitting the casinos and spending time with his family.

Survivors include his daughter Traci (Scott) Rose of Columbus; seven grandchildren Angela (Brian) Ness of Lodi, Jacob (Andrea) Rose of Columbus, Major Christopher (Jessie) Rose of Elizabethtown KY, Samantha Rose (Riley Kaeppel) of Columbus, Hillary Achuff of Fox Lake, Austin Achuff of Beaver Dam, Andrea (Nate) Hendrix of Verona; twelve great grandchildren Cole, Sophia, Amelia, Henry, Preston, Colton, Ethan, Abram, Grayson, Brendan, Carter and Carmeron; nieces, nephews, sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, other relatives and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Susan; son, Jason Achuff and grandson, Benjamin Achuff. A private family gathering will be held at a later date.

A special Thank you to Dr. Rolf, Dr. Sam and the entire Poser staff for their continuous care and support over the past year.  Thank you to the incredible 4th floor nursing staff at Prairie Ridge Hospital and The Columbus Health and Rehab Facility.

We encourage you to share your online condolences with John's family at jensenfuneralandcremation.com