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Remembering Thomas Alfred Marks
Thomas Alfred Marks was born on November 19, 1946, the second of four children, to George and Gloria Marks in New York City, NY. He grew up in the beachside community of Rockaway Beach in Queens surrounded by extended family where he spent summers playing stickball, basketball and tennis and in his spare time enjoyed teasing his siblings. Tom excelled at sports, especially tennis for which he won a city championship during high school. Upon graduating from St, John’s Preparatory High School in 1964, he attended Niagara University in upstate New York to play basketball and baseball. However, during his freshman year, there was a “misunderstanding” in a bar with some Canadians which caused Niagara to – as he put it – invite him not to return his sophomore year. Tom therefore transferred to the University of Missouri - Kansas City (UMKC), joining his older brother George there. At UMKC he became a member of the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity and ultimately received his bachelor’s degree in finance.
Upon graduation, he joined the United States Navy and was stationed in London, England to “protect the Brits from the communist threat” as he liked to put it. His assignment was fateful as he met and fell in love with his wife of 54 years, Brenda Jean Izard. Upon completing his stint in the Navy, Tom did two things: he traveled Europe with close friends (including an extended stay in southern Spain and a trip to Pamplona where he ran with the bulls) and he asked Brenda if she would come visit him in America and if she liked it, if she would be his bride. She said yes and the two were married in New Jersey in 1972.
The two moved to Kansas City where Tom worked as a pharmaceutical salesman, but he soon transitioned to Merrill Lynch to become a financial advisor and stockbroker. Though he always liked to joke that he still didn’t know what he was going to do when he grew up, he remained a financial advisor until the day he died, helping people plan for their futures. In 1975, Tom and Brenda welcomed their first son, Colin, into the world and they had a second son, Tommy, in 1979. In Kansas City, Tom discovered the second great love of his life – handball. Anyone who met Tom soon learned of his passion for the game, and he became one of the sport’s great ambassadors. He won many open doubles tournaments with John Bailey and was inducted into the Missouri Handball Hall of Fame in 2002. When his beloved Kansas City Athletic Club closed due to lack of a home location, it was Tom who had the vision and leadership to start it back up in downtown Kansas City, Kansas with two of the finest three-wall courts in the country. Today the club boasts over 100 members and is a lasting testament to Tom’s love of the sport. Tom had many enduring friendships through work, handball and TKE and continued to meet his fraternity brothers for monthly lunches until his death. The only thing he loved more than handball was his family, especially his two grandchildren, Savannah and George, who he texted or spoke to frequently.
Tom died sometime during the night/early morning of Saturday, July 25, 2026, peacefully in his sleep, just as his father did and just how he said he always wanted to go. He spent his last week exactly how he would have wanted, visiting with his grandchildren and playing handball at the facility he founded. He won his last handball game the Thursday before he died 21-4.
Tom is preceded in death by his father George, mother Gloria, brother George, sister Eileen, and brother-in-law Vivian Waterlow. He is survived by his wife Brenda, his sons Colin and Tommy, his grandchildren, Savannah and George, his brother Roger and his wife Nancy, his nieces Kerry Divilly, Anne Marie Divilli, and Christine Vaculeac, and nephews John Divilly, Wayne Waterlow, and Dale Waterlow.
Visitation will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Monday, August 3, at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, Kansas City North. The Funeral Mass will be 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, August 4, at St. Patrick’s Church, with followed by burial at Leavenworth National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers you may make a donation to the Kansas City Athletic Club (KCAC), 845 Armstrong Ave, Kansas City, KS 66101 (check or Venmo to @KCHandball).
Condolences may be offered at www.passantinobros.com https://www.passantinobros.com/obituary/thomas-marks
Upon graduation, he joined the United States Navy and was stationed in London, England to “protect the Brits from the communist threat” as he liked to put it. His assignment was fateful as he met and fell in love with his wife of 54 years, Brenda Jean Izard. Upon completing his stint in the Navy, Tom did two things: he traveled Europe with close friends (including an extended stay in southern Spain and a trip to Pamplona where he ran with the bulls) and he asked Brenda if she would come visit him in America and if she liked it, if she would be his bride. She said yes and the two were married in New Jersey in 1972.
The two moved to Kansas City where Tom worked as a pharmaceutical salesman, but he soon transitioned to Merrill Lynch to become a financial advisor and stockbroker. Though he always liked to joke that he still didn’t know what he was going to do when he grew up, he remained a financial advisor until the day he died, helping people plan for their futures. In 1975, Tom and Brenda welcomed their first son, Colin, into the world and they had a second son, Tommy, in 1979. In Kansas City, Tom discovered the second great love of his life – handball. Anyone who met Tom soon learned of his passion for the game, and he became one of the sport’s great ambassadors. He won many open doubles tournaments with John Bailey and was inducted into the Missouri Handball Hall of Fame in 2002. When his beloved Kansas City Athletic Club closed due to lack of a home location, it was Tom who had the vision and leadership to start it back up in downtown Kansas City, Kansas with two of the finest three-wall courts in the country. Today the club boasts over 100 members and is a lasting testament to Tom’s love of the sport. Tom had many enduring friendships through work, handball and TKE and continued to meet his fraternity brothers for monthly lunches until his death. The only thing he loved more than handball was his family, especially his two grandchildren, Savannah and George, who he texted or spoke to frequently.
Tom died sometime during the night/early morning of Saturday, July 25, 2026, peacefully in his sleep, just as his father did and just how he said he always wanted to go. He spent his last week exactly how he would have wanted, visiting with his grandchildren and playing handball at the facility he founded. He won his last handball game the Thursday before he died 21-4.
Tom is preceded in death by his father George, mother Gloria, brother George, sister Eileen, and brother-in-law Vivian Waterlow. He is survived by his wife Brenda, his sons Colin and Tommy, his grandchildren, Savannah and George, his brother Roger and his wife Nancy, his nieces Kerry Divilly, Anne Marie Divilli, and Christine Vaculeac, and nephews John Divilly, Wayne Waterlow, and Dale Waterlow.
Visitation will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Monday, August 3, at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, Kansas City North. The Funeral Mass will be 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, August 4, at St. Patrick’s Church, with followed by burial at Leavenworth National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers you may make a donation to the Kansas City Athletic Club (KCAC), 845 Armstrong Ave, Kansas City, KS 66101 (check or Venmo to @KCHandball).
Condolences may be offered at www.passantinobros.com https://www.passantinobros.com/obituary/thomas-marks
