Jon Howard Marple

On May 5, 1940 Jon Howard Marple was born in Wheeling, West Virginia He was the first born son of Helen McKinney and William (Jack) Marple. When his father left to fight in WWII, Jon and his mother moved to Florida where she worked in a factory to support the war effort. After the war ended and Jack came home with a Purple Heart, Jon received a brother, Dean Marple and eventually a baby sister, Mollie.

Jon’s formative years were spent in Columbus, Ohio where he attended North High School and played football and baseball.

He graduated from high school in 1957 and attended BYU on a baseball scholarship. He joined a fraternity, was President of the Young Democrats

and a Founding Member of the Vikings which today is one of the largest and most active Clubs on Campus.

Before graduation with a double degree in Political Science and History, Jon served a Mission for his church in Oregon and Washington State.

After graduation he tried his hand at minor league baseball until he decided to go to law school.

He attended the University of Washington Law School where he played Rugby won the Moot Court Competition and received his JD.

He married and proceeded to have 4 children in 5 years. Michelle Purrington, Boston, Mass, mother of 4, Jon Richard Marple, father of 3,Colorado Springs, CO, Mark Marple, Father of 2, San Diego CA and Lori Stoa, mother of 3, Spokane.

After law school he began his career in Columbus, Ohio with a law firm and eventually went to Washington D.C. and was part of the Nixon Administration. He was an Appellate Attorney for the Justice Department and then moved over to the FCC. His work there got him interested in Broadcasting. He purchased KRKO in the Seattle area.

In 1983 he met Mary Blake and they married 8 short years later. They continued in Broadcasting and eventually built a company that went from their back bedroom to NASDAQ with a Billion Dollar Market Cap.

During their 25 years together in California, Jon had the privilege of living on the beach, riding his surf ski every morning, swimming for miles in the ocean, participated in Triathlons was an active member of the outrigger canoe club which had several former Olympic medal winners, played tennis at the John Wayne Club and ball with his faithful cocker spaniel, Miss Jane Marple.

The move to Texas came in 2001 where they lived first in Bentwater and now in April Sound in Montgomery, TX. He has continued to practice law, and has also recently completed and published a Trilogy of Novels based on the relatives that surrounded him in his early years in the Appalachian mountains and their colorful history. He calls it Moonshine Mafia.

Jon’s Bar Associations included the Supreme Court of the United States of America, the Appellate Court of the United States of America, The Federal Tax Court of the United States of America and the State Bar Association of Ohio. Jon worked up until his death.

Funeral Service will take place at Metcalf Funeral Directors in Conroe on Monday June 29 at noon. Visitation will be 10:30 to 12:00. He will be laid to rest in the Plantersville Cemetery, where his wife’s family, the Blakes, donated the land and have been buried since the 1800's.