RICHMOND
Bob (Robert) E. Marquis passed away at the age of 82 the morning of August 7th, 2024, with his small but mighty family by his side.
He leaves behind his bride, Renee (Hardin) Marquis, who he married on Christmas Eve 62 years ago. His daughters, who he adored, Missy (Melissa) Marquis, Amanda (Mandi) Marquis, his favorite granddaughter, Hailey Bartlett, and her husband, Elijah Bartlett. Poppy will be watching over his future great-grandson who will arrive in November. Ann Curlee, his sweet sister, and her husband, Dennis Curlee.
His mother, Thurza Marquis, and his foster father, Joe Hamilton of Winchester, IN preceded Bob in death.
Bob started Sunnyside Greenhouses in Greenfield, IN in 1974 where he owned and operated the business with Renee until 1994. He had a green thumb like no other and was passionate about his business that he grew from the ground up (yes, pun intended). The greenhouses are now owned by Michelle Hogue; Bob loved that she embraced his vision and has maintained the quality he expected.
Bob and Renee semi-retired in 1994 and moved to Manteo, located on Roanoke Island in North Carolina. He lived out his dream to be on the Outer Banks of North Carolina where he grew up visiting with his foster dad, Joe Hamilton. He loved Apple Uglies from the Orange Blossom bakery, fresh scallops, and hush puppies from the Tale of the Whale restaurant, taking the ferry to Ocracoke, riding his bike to the Manteo waterfront, visiting the lighthouses and fishing. He always loved when family/friends would come to visit so he could show them coastal North Carolina.
Bob and Renee moved back to Richmond, Indiana, in 2018 to be closer to family. Bob loved drives through Hayes Arboretum, watching for deer along the tree line behind his house and feeding the squirrels and birds. He was a bit annoyed by the raccoons that insisted on knocking down the bird feeders, but he even liked leaving food out for them too. Alexa was his friend for helping him keep up with current events, the weather, and also how many days he had been married to his bride which was 22,512 days when he took his last breath.
In lieu of a funeral, Bob would much rather you take a drive with your family with the windows down and drink a chocolate milkshake along the way. Have a TV marathon in his honor and watch the episode of WKRP “Turkeys Away” You don’t have to wait till Thanksgiving, it’s funny any time. Catch some episodes of Frasier while you are at it, especially the first episode. Leave hand written notes for your spouse or loved ones, they’ll like seeing your handwriting when you are gone. Eat a piece of cake, especially the pumpkin spice and chocolate cake at the Corner Cafe at the Leland—they were his favorite.
Thank you to our Leland Legacy family, especially Lisa Jelly-May, Taylor Kincaid, Ron Cupp, Scotty Greene and Shonda Brim for being there to help with his care and needs since moving back to Indiana. In the last hours of his life, he shared with us that his best friend Andy Puterbaugh was there to pick him up. Along with Andy was Bob’s friend Ed Hansen, Grandma and Grandad, and PaPaw. He gave us such a gift sharing that all the people he loved so much were there to take him home to be with them in heaven.
Rest easy Poppy, you will be missed. We’ll be sure that Olive and Louie get their graham crackers every night. Love you to the moon and back.
A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date; Stegall-Berheide-Orr Funeral Home is handling the arrangements. Condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.stegallberheideorr.com
