Alice Stella Markovic

The life of Alice Markovic is like a kaleidoscope, reflecting vivid images of her as a multifaceted woman: the wife, the mother, the teacher, the friend, the brave heart – a life to be celebrated! In 2015, Alice passed away on May 4, also the birthdate of her one and only husband, John Markovic.

Born August 24, 1922, Alice grew up in Chicago through the bootlegging era and The Great Depression. She worked for the war efforts while John served in the Army during WWII. Family gatherings with their Czech and Polish families were at the core of her life. They raised Tom, Karen, and Jim on Mobile St., where their family built lifelong friendships that remain today. Tom and his wife Paula had Kim, Krista and Adam, before John and Alice moved Karen and Jim to Toledo, Ohio in 1968 for a new business. A later move to Northern Michigan for John’s love of fishing and lake life was followed by a move to Florida. They enjoyed the years near the ocean until John died in 1985. Alice moved to Atlanta with Jim, Denise and family in 1986.

Alice’s favorite saying was, “If a man finds himself with bread in both hands, he should exchange one loaf for some flowers, for the bread feeds the body but the flowers feed the soul.” Her love and reverence for indoor and outdoor gardening marked each day when she would be found tending her plants. John and Alice’s green thumbs transformed the landscape of their homes. Some of Alice’s happiest days were in Toledo in her plant store, “The Light Garden.” Her expertise brought invitations to speak at local gardening events. Each of their children inherited their green thumbs: Tom has created incredible indoor plantscapes in homes he designed; Jim creates impressive outdoor living spaces accentuated by artful landscaping of his homes; Karen created plant businesses in Bowling Green, Ohio and Houston, Texas and still loves to garden.

Alice and John loved music, and were part of the big band and jazz era—from Glenn Miller and Harry James to Sinatra. They took dance lessons at Arthur Murray’s studio so they could tear it up on the dance floor at parties. John put a hi-fi in the basement where they played 45s and albums so they could dance with friends. They even bought an organ so Karen could take lessons and play “Moon River” and “Blue Spanish Eyes” to them.

John and Alice were constantly building something, from remodeling a basement to building a summer cottage at Goose Lake, Illinois, to putting a deck around the pool in the back yard. It is evident in the lives of their children that building and creativity are in their DNA. Tom became an award-winning architectural designer whose drawings have been published in a textbook. Jim developed a long-term career in remodeling sales, has owned his own award- winning building materials businesses, and his expertise in building or remodeling just about anything. Karen went on to write articles for a builder’s magazine and also uses her home construction familiarity working as a realtor.

An avid reader, Alice devoured three books per week in her best days. She never stopped being interested in a plethora of topics, and she researched them on the Internet through a computer magnifier after her vision declined in recent years. Her hunger for knowledge always served as a major motivator to her daughter Karen, also an avid reader, who ultimately attained a Master of Arts in English and became a college professor teaching writing and communication.

Alice loved sewing and as a fabric connoisseur, was dazzled by the beauty of colors and textures. Her love for handling fabrics even turned doing laundry into an art (her family knows what this means). Family pictures show that she dressed her family well. She made clothes for others, and taught Karen to sew at a young age, ultimately leading to Karen’s career as a fashion designer in Hollywood. Alice also enjoyed making hundreds of handmade items that she sold at craft shows around Atlanta, many of which she enjoyed with her daughter-in-law and crafting partner, Denise.

The Markovic household barely saw a day without four-legged loved ones who held significant family roles. Spoiled rotten were Sparky the mutt, Pudgy the Boston Bull Terrior, Tammy the Cockapoo, Jenny the Sheltie and Drabin the Corgi. Whenever possible, her beloved dogs would travel on vacations, ride along in the car for companionship, enjoy leftovers.

Navigating her life after losing much of her vision to macular degeneration, and losing some mobility in her legs from neuropathy, didn’t keep Alice from making every attempt to get the most out of life. Alice was a fighter and up to May 4th 2015 before she suffered a stroke, she still sought solutions for her physical challenges, and milked pleasure out of every outing with family and friends.

“The kiss of the sun for pardon; the song of the birds for mirth; one is nearer God’s heart in a garden than anywhwere else on earth.” The author who penned this poem could have written it about Alice because most of all, she loved the Lord and found his glory through beauty and living things. She never wavered from her belief that God had a reason for keeping her alive to the age of 92. Her persistence and tenacious insistence for living life to the fullest inspired most people who knew her, especially those who, after hearing of her passing, called her a remarkable woman and said that it was a privilege to know Alice Markovic.

John and Alice leave behind son Tom and his wife Pam; daughter, Karen and her husband Greg, son, Jim and his wife Denise; grandchildren, Kim, Krista, Adam, Kyle, Josh,Nicole; and great-grandchildren, Clayton, Kendall, Blake and Dryden. Only God knows how the creative DNA from John and Alice will continue to unfold in the lives of their descendants.

Visitation will be held Monday, May 11, 2015 at Woodstock Funeral Home in Woodstock, Georgia from 10am-noon. At 1:30pm her family will hold a life celebration service at First Baptist Church, Woodstock Georgia. Alice will rest in peace with John in Ellenton, Florida; interment will take place in late May at Mansion Memorial.