A community leader in Vanderhoof has died less than two weeks after being diagnosed with cancer.
School District 91 (SD91) Superintendent Eugene Marks passed away on June 20th at 55 years old surrounded by his family and is being remembered as an educational leader of 30 years, ranging from a PE teacher to a school principal.
“He put people first,” says Spencer Marks, son of Eugene.
“There’s been many people that I don’t know that I reached out to me, especially the kids that were in trouble a lot, they reached out to us and said he was there only advocate. He believed that looking at kids is how they could become and that they could reach their potential. He treated everyone with respect; everybody felt loved by my Dad.”
Today @sd91bc lost a great educator and an even better person. Supt. Eugene Marks was a passionate leader throughout a stellar career. He knew relationships mattered. He was like a brother to me & our families grew up together over the last 30 years. Left a dent in our universe. pic.twitter.com/TPzgeNxF2m
— Ken Young (@PrincipalViking) June 21, 2018
Marks took over as SD91’s top position in 2017.
Spencer adds his father’s passion educating young people was shown every day of his life.
“With his humility, I don’t know if he needed to be the superintendent to have that impact, but he loved his job, he loved loving people and connecting with one another, and he was dedicated to improving the lives of this community and the children who were the potential of this area.”
Marks is survived by his wife Kathleen, seven children, and two grandchildren.
A funeral service is scheduled for tomorrow, 2PM in the Nechako Valley Secondary School gym.
The SD91 team has lost our friend & Superintendent Eugene today after a very short battle with cancer. His compassion, humour and genuine natural will be missed by all that knew him. Our thoughts and support are with his family and friends during this difficult time. #bclearns pic.twitter.com/BFNdIoV5Cg
— Mike Skinner (@mskinner91) June 20, 2018
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