Obituary of Lureen Hughes Marks

Lureen Hughes Marks, 94, of Gaston, SC, entered heaven’s gates to live eternally with her Lord and Savior on February 15, 2024.

Lureen was born on April 8, 1929, in Cope, SC to Ernest Thomas and Vera Bell Hughes. She later moved to Columbia, SC, and married Marion E. Marks, Sr. Together, they had 4 children: Andrea, Marion, Allen and Hugh.  Lureen was a loving mother, devoted wife, caring sister and beloved grandmother, great-grandmother, and aunt.

For more than 20 years, she was an employee of Southern Bell Telephone Company, where she worked as a Ship-to-Shore Operator and Fraud Investigator.

In the last year of her life, she was a resident of Jenni-Lynn Assisted Living in West Columbia, SC where she was affectionately known as their live in “FBI Agent.” She received extraordinary love from their staff and caregivers during her time there and was loved by everyone.

Lureen loved ballroom dancing, music, visiting the mountains, and especially her family. She embodied the best qualities that a lady could possess. To know her was to love her. She was selfless, generous, faithful, and always looking out for others. The greatest gift of her life was her unconditional love, dedication and giving to her family and other people. She loved the Lord with all her heart, and even near the end of life, when Alzheimer’s took away her memory of family and friends, she still proclaimed her love and faith in Jesus Christ, her Savior.

She was pre-deceased by her parents; her husband, Marion E. Marks. Sr.; her daughter, Andrea Marks; her son, Allen Dale Marks; and sister, Nadia Jean Hughes.

She is survived by her sons, Marion E. Marks, Jr. (Debbie), Hugh Boyd Marks (Gayle); brother, Ronald G. Gilmore (Rachel); her grandchildren, Cheryl Ryan (James), Donna Skinner (Jeremy), Kathleen “Katie” Johnson (Kenneth), and Sarah Dugan (Eric). Also, great-grandchildren, Caroline “Gracie” Johnson, Soren Johnson, Will Ryan, Jack Ryan and Colton Freeman; niece, Rhonda Gilmore; and great-nephew Caleb Gilmore.

Her celebration of life service will be held at Thompson Funeral Home (845 Leesburg Rd., Columbia, SC 29209) at 12pm on Tuesday, February 20, 2024, with burial immediately following at Greenlawn Memorial Park. Visitation will be at 11am at Thompson Funeral Home.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Jenni-Lynn Assisted Living (915 Hook Ave., West Columbia, SC 29169).

For those unable to attend, the celebration of life service will be streaming live via the following link: https://client.tribucast.com/tcid/699654292