In his words: Andrew lived a full and enjoyable life and loved his children greatly (although he wasn’t a very demonstrative person). He had a profound belief in God and prayed and went to Mass regularly (although, again, he was not a “joiner”). He obviously benefitted many thousands of his fellow men and women through his profession as a physician and ophthalmologist. He had a true love of the US Navy.
In our words: It is with tremendous sadness and great pride that we remember our father, Dr. Andrew “Bandi” Arpad Steven Markovits (Retired Captain, United States Navy), who passed away unexpectedly on October 30, 2018. He was a force unlike any other. He will be fiercely missed by his family and friends, who cannot imagine the world without his jokes or his passion for life.
Born to Joseph Arpad Markovits and Julia Marie “Luca” Markovits (Diosey) on November 15, 1929 in Port Arthur, Texas, Andrew received a A.B. in Chemistry from the University of Missouri before completing medical school at Saint Louis University in 1953. Andrew then joined the US Navy as a Lieutenant in the Medical Corps, serving as a flight surgeon in Japan. He then moved to California with his wife, Martha Mangan, where he became father to Mimi, Amy, Scott, and Clare. For the next ten years, he worked in general private practice in Aptos before returning to his medical training at University of California at San Francisco to specialize in ophthalmic surgery. In 1979, he rejoined the Navy, moving with his wife Michael and their three children, Elizabeth, Dianya, and Lara, to Pensacola, FL to become the Chief of Ophthalmology at the Naval Aerospace and Regional Medical Center. He also served as a medical associate at Baptist Hospital. He retired from the Navy in 1995, after serving as Clinic Director of the Naval Aerospace Medical Institute (NAMI), where he practiced medicine and helped train a generation of aerospace medical professionals. He retained his private practice in Pensacola until July 1, 2016, ably assisted by his dear friend Debbie Adcock. Over his many years as a physician, he authored dozens of contributions to medical journals and textbooks, in addition to articles for professional and general interest publications. Andrew received the Ashton Graybiel Memorial Award in 1996 (for significant original research contribution to the health and safety of naval personnel). Throughout his long career, he was a dedicated physician, caring for his patients, staff, and students with exceptional skill and kindness. His passion for medicine and learning was an inspiration to all those who knew him.
Andrew loved his children greatly and he was by far the most fun person they knew. He traveled the world several times over, usually taking some assortment of them along, showing them how big and interesting the world could be. He flew airplanes, rode roller coasters, captained boats, taught them to water- and snow-ski, spent countless hours fishing in the Gulf of Mexico, drove motorcycles, and swam in every body of water possible (Markovits rules: always pack a swimsuit). He loved animals and took in stray cats, as well as the occasional blue heron. Andrew was a gifted musician, paying for college by playing piano on riverboats on the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, and then playing guitar and piano for his family’s enjoyment over the years. He loved the opera, introducing his children (and grandchildren) to Puccini, Verdi, and Bizet, as well as Chopin, Tchaikovsky, and Liszt. He read constantly, ranging from trashy spy novels to great literature; he also made sure his children’s New Yorker subscriptions never lapsed.
All of us - his family, friends, students, corpsmen, sailors, and patients - loved him for both his unflagging intensity and his gentle charms.
Andrew leaves his children Mimi Markovits (and her partner Richard D’Amato; San Jose, CA); Scott Markovits (Tuscon, AZ); Clare Markovits (and her partner, Nick Szluk; San Jose, CA); Elizabeth Markovits (and her partner Bennett Hazlip; Amherst, MA), Dianya Markovits (St. Augustine, FL), and Lara Markovits (and her partner Jay Cartwright; Chapel Hill, NC); his stepson, Jonathan David Hoopingarner (and his partner Timothy Hughes; Rockville MD) ; and his grandchildren, Peter Dutton (CA), Mary Dutton (Santa Cruz, CA), Mara Christina Szluk (San Jose, CA), Joseph Markovits Hazlip and Ilona Pearl Markovits Hazlip (Amherst, MA). He is preceded in death by his ex-wife, Michael Maynard Young Markovits and his daughter Amelia Dean, as well as his parents and siblings, George Markovits and Eva Wheelis.
Family and friends are invited to a memorial Mass at St. Thomas More Church at 3295 Barrancas Avenue in Pensacola, FL on November 16th, 2018. Visitation will be held at 10:30am, with Mass at 11:30. A reception in the Fellowship Hall will follow before inurnment at Barrancas National Cemetery with full military honors at 1:30pm. Memorial donations may be made to St. Thomas More or to the Navy Marine Corps Relief Society.
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