Dianne Fleming Marks Obituary

Dianne Fleming Marks

Tucson, AZ - Dianne Fleming Marks, of Oro Valley, AZ, passed away peacefully with family at her bedside early on the morning of December 29, 2025 after a two-week hospital stay. Born to Claude and Sarah Fleming in Monroe, GA in 1942, Dianne attended Monroe High School where she was a member of the Monroe Girls Corps and marched as a drum majorette in the 1959 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. She received her B.A. from Emory University in Atlanta, GA and after graduation joined the Southern Bell Telephone Company's first management program for women. She met the love of her life, medical student Bill Marks, on a blind date and they married a few days before Christmas in 1966. They made their home in Bill's hometown, Augusta, GA while he completed medical school at the Medical College of Georgia. During the Vietnam war they lived in Okinawa, Japan where Bill was a physician stationed on Kadena Air Force Base. Over the years they lived in Dallas, TX, Charleston, SC, and Easley, SC. Dianne worked as a real estate agent in Charleston, SC. After both daughters went to college, Dianne got her Master's degree from Clemson University and she and Bill moved to Greensboro, NC, where Dianne was a professor of sociology at a nearby community college. She and Bill retired to Oro Valley, AZ near Tucson where they were surrounded by the Sonoran desert, a beautiful mountain landscape, and a wonderful community of dear friends. Dianne loved deeply and had a fabulous zest for life. From driving her red Miata convertible to soaking up the sun gazing out at the ocean (drink in hand) to laughing with her friends and family and cheering on her beloved Georgia Bulldogs, she knew what carpe diem meant. Her legacy lives on every time someone puts on an outfit with a little more bling than usual. Every time someone flips the tassel on their graduation cap after fighting for their right to be educated. Every time a mother whispers "you can do it!" into her child's ear. Every time people start living their lives to the fullest. Dianne is survived by her daughters, Honor Marks and Kate Marks Sojka (Jeff); two grandchildren, Nat Sojka and Charlie Jordan; her sister-in-law, Ginger Espy Page (Bill); and nieces and nephews. We are certain she has reunited with our dad, her beloved husband of 55 years, who preceded her in death. In honor of Dianne's exuberance, family and friends gathered for a champagne toast to celebrate her life on New Year's Eve day in Tucson, AZ. Dianne and Bill's ashes will return to Augusta, GA this spring for a private interment in Westover Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers donations in Dianne's memory may be made to Doctors Without Borders.

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