John Patrick Markham

On Sunday, December 16, John Patrick Markham, beloved husband, father, and friend, ended his fight with cancer at age 53. He is survived by his wife Loretta, son Matthew, and daughter Kerra. John was born June 8, 1965 in Montclair, New Jersey to James and Patricia Markham. He graduated from Montclair State in 1988 and began working at Phillips-Van Heusen in human resources. In 1997 he went to work for Nabisco, until acquisition by Kraft Foods, where he worked for another 14 years, reaching the level of VP Human Resources. In 2016 he joined Varsity Brands here in Dallas, TX, as their Chief Human Resources Officer. In his philanthropic work, he served on the board for Kaleidoscope 4 Kids, a non-profit to benefit disadvantaged youth in the Chicagoland area.

Though he worked tirelessly in his career, he valued personal time with his family above all else. Never one to waste daylight, he enjoyed filling his schedule with bike rides, fishing with his children, finding new ways to decorate his home and yard, and spending time with his beautiful bride. He would be equally happy picking out pillows at Crate & Barrel as he would be enjoying some beer and pizza down at the Jersey Shore, listening to Springsteen with loved ones. He was known for his dry wit, his reliability, his fair and honest principles, his caring soul and his unyielding loyalty to friends and family.

There will be a viewing at Sparkman-Hillcrest Funeral Home in Dallas, from 6-9pm on Wednesday, December 19, 2018. The funeral mass will be held on Thursday, December 20th, 2018, at St. Rita Catholic Church-Dallas at 10am. John requested cremation, and he will be laid to rest at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in East Hanover, New Jersey. A memorial will be held there at a date TBD. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in John’s honor to UT Southwestern Medical Center: https://engage.utsouthwestern.edu/donate-now