Born into poverty in 1937 as the only child of a single mother living in a small hamlet on the outskirts of Eufaula, Oklahoma, Marcus was a natural industrious "free range" boy. His education was through the 10th grade, but he always regretted not getting more education. He joined his father, Larkin Cox, in Hughson. at age 14, but went back to Oklahoma where at seventeen he married Gladys Nealis. The next year he became the father of his first daughter, Pamela Cox Littlepage (Bruce) then the marriage ended when Mark was twenty years old. Mark came back to Hughson in 1958, where he met his future wife, Dolores Wagenman of Waterford. They married in 1960. In 1968, Mark and Dolores built Space in the Shade Mobilehome Park in Waterford, managing it for nineteen years. 1971 brought a baby girl, Stacey Cox Williams (Ken). A baby boy, Steven Cox (Angela) came to Mark & Dolores in 1972. Mark was a "top gun" trapshooter, winning numerous shoots up and down California. Then he turned to horses and joined a team with father and son Ron and Randy Haile, winning team pennings in California and as far away as Guthrie, Okla. The pinnacle of the Team Penning is to compete and win at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. Mark joined with another father and son team, Willie & Steve Tellam of Julian, California, and together they won the Cow Palace team penning in 1990. After discontinuing the travel circuit Mark started training young horses. Even as Mark enjoyed all these sports, his greatest pleasure was his three children, Pam, Stacey & Steve, and six grandchildren: Dr. Kelley Littlepage Cleveland (Clay), Reid Souza, Brady Souza, Quinn Williams, Tyler & Madison Cox. Marcus invited Jesus Christ into his life at about age forty and lived a life of love, joy, peace . As life would happen, a fall from a ladder and the discovery of lymphoma cancer brought the difficult end to a wonderful life here on earth, but Mark is now beyond the human constraints of this earth. There will be a visitation on Thursday May 3rd from 4pm-8pm, and a funeral service on Friday May 4th at 10am in the Heritage Chapel. Both will be held at Lakewood Memorial Park, 900 Santa Fe Ave in Hughson. There will be a reception following the funeral service at Samaritan Village located at 7700 Fox Rd., Hughson.
PALLBEARERS
Steve Cox
Ken Williams
Bruce Littlepage
Reid Souza
Brady Souza
Tyler Cox
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