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Mr. Farmington Hills
iv
DIANA LIEBERMAN.
Staff Writer
hen Ben Marks looked beyond down-
town Farmington in 1968, his new
home was in a rural township just
nning a phenomenal building boom.
Today, Farmington Hills is the largest city in
Oakland County, and one of the most prosperous.
On July 15, 2003, its city council declared Ben
Marks Day, honoring a man whose name is inextri-
cably linked to the city's history and prosperity.
Mr. Marks, 80, died March 15, 2004, in his
Farmington Hills home.
A member of the charter commission that incor-
porated the city in 1973, Mr. Marks served 1984-
1993 on the city council, serving stints as the city's
mayor and mayor pro tern. As president of the
Michigan Municipal League and member of the
National League of Cities, he worked to make
Farmington Hills a political and economic force.
Mr. Marks had been diagnosed with emphysema
several years ago, said his daughter, Marjorie
Marks of Huntington Woods, but
he continued his active schedule
until just last month.
Although he was the proud father
of four daughters, Mr. Marks, a real
estate developer, had one project that
was his special "baby," his daughter
said — the Farmington Hills
Longacre House. Located on
Farmington Road between 10 and 11
Mile roads, this historic mansion was
Ben Marks
a stop on the Underground Railroad
for escaped slaves from the South in
the mid-1800s.
"It was going to be sold, torn down for con-
dos," she said. "My dad got it recognized as a his-
toric site, raised money to renovate it and served
as its director."
A member of Adat Shalom Synagogue in
Farmington Hills, Mr. Marks "instilled Yiddishkeit
in all of us," Ms. Marks said. "I went to shul with
him and davened with him."
To Farmington Hills City Council member John
Akouri, Mr. Marks was a beloved
mentor: "He threw himself into pub-
lic service, and he made friends left
and right."
Ben Marks is survived by his daugh-
ters, Rita Milen of Las Vegas, Nev.,
Gail Marks of Boulder, Colo., Joan
Marks of Steamboat Springs, Colo.,
Marjorie Marks of Huntington Woods;
sister and brother-in-law, Alice and
Morton Berlin of West Bloomfield;
grandchildren, Jason Milen, Todd
Stoneman, Heather Stoneman, Phillip
(Megan) Ecker, Grant (Brittany) Ecker
and Samuel Ecker.
He was the beloved husband of the
late Shirley D. Marks; brother of the
late Beatrice Wayburn.
Interment was at Adat Shalom Memorial Park.
Donations may be made to the Longacre House,
24705 Farmington Road, Farmington Hills, MI
48336; Tri-County Collie Rescue League do
Barbara Rose, barbarar@umich.edu ; Michigan
Humane Society, 26711 Northwestern Hwy,
Suitel7, Southfield, MI 48034; or a charity of one's
choice. Arrangements by Dorfman Chapel. ❑
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3/19
2004
95