Nicholas Constantine Marketos

1941-2017

Nick Marketos—lover of kindness, family, animals, and rugby—died on August 14, 2017 after an epic battle with terminal brain cancer. He is survived by a world that is better because he lived in it.

Nick’s wondrous life began in the small township of Shamva, Zimbabwe on March 4, 1941. The son of Panayiotis, a pioneer, and Emilia, a saint, Nick’s earthly tale is one of transcendence: his mind, body, and spirit would travel the world, but his heart would always belong to Africa.

This child of the bush somehow obtained a royal education at Prince Edward School in Harare, Zimbabwe. Nick excelled in every sport from diving to darts. He was best known as a remarkable rugby player and a terrible singer. Nick continued playing rugby at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, where he pursued an advanced degree in mathematics and a blonde girl named Katharine. He succeeded at both.

In 1970, shortly after graduating from UCT, Nick brought his new bride and his degree to the United States. He had two sons, began working for Ross Perot’s Electronic Data Systems, and then led his family on a 12-year adventure across the globe. Nick returned his family to the U.S. in 1989 and continued his work with EDS while raising both of his sons to become good men. Any failures here were not for lack of trying.

Nick’s unbridled passion for rugby and selfless giving led him to start Plano Rugby Club in 2000 to introduce the game to youth in North Texas. He affected countless lives. He retired from the IT world for good in 2009 to work on his golf game, coach rugby, watch his grandchildren grow up, and make increasingly poor political choices. He succeeded in all of those endeavors.

When the evil that is cancer chose to visit its unspeakable wrath on Nick’s brain, he never ran. He never questioned his fate. He stood and fought without so much as a complaint. Heart wide open, fists clenched, dignity intact—Nick did not go gentle into that good night. Nick died fighting, and cancer lost.

A more humble, loving, and selfless man has never breathed our air.

Nick’s wife of 50 years, Kathy; his sons, Mike and Pete; his daughters-in-law, Caralyn and Michelle; and his granddaughters, Macey, Madison, Megan, Elena, and Payton, will miss him terribly. But they will never walk alone.

A Funeral Service will be at 12:00 PM on Saturday, August 26th, 2017, at Sparkman/Hillcrest Northwest Chapel, 7405 W. Northwest Hwy., Dallas, TX 75225 with a reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Plano Rugby Club at www.planorugby.com. Online condolences may be made at www.Sparkman-Hillcrest.com