James Louis Marc Jr

James Louis Marc Jr passed peacefully in his sleep on Friday, January 24, 2025.

He is survived by a large family of sisters, Sonny, Juliette and Victoria, their partners, nieces and nephews, his previous spouses, Beda and Cynthia, daughter Bibi, grandson Jack, son-in-law Tom, and long-time partner Connie, with whom he shared a love of art and daily walks in Marin. All of us love James deeply and miss him immensely.

James was born on Midway Island during his father’s station there with the US Marine Corps. Aside from that brief time, he resided in Marin for 74 years, much of it in the home his grandparents built in Corte Madera in 1908. James attended Neil Cummins, Redwood High School, College of Marin and the San Francisco Art Institute.

James began drawing at an early age, and at age 11 started painting. He was a prolific artist, painting most days of his life from 4-6 hours unless he was flyfishing, playing piano or shooting jump shots at Corte Madera Park. His artwork has been shown in galleries in Marin, San Francisco, Montana, New York and Seattle.

During his childhood, a neighbor took him flyfishing, and as they say, he was hooked. Summers found James and his young family in the 1970’s as trout bums, living in the camper of their 1956 Chevy truck and traveling the western states in search of trout. In later years, he became a flyfishing outfitter, guiding and sharing his love of fishing with many clients on the spring creeks of Paradise Valley, Montana and rivers of Yellowstone Park.

Music played a large role in James’s life, a passion shared with his parents, his daughter and his grandson. From country, reggae, classical and lots in between, James loved music. It was the background to years of drawing and painting and lives on in the legacy of the cassette tapes he made and shared with many.

While James was one of the lucky ones who created a life that allowed him to do the things he loved most – art, music, flyfishing and basketball, there were hardships and traumas. Perhaps because of his creative side, and definitely because of his sense of humor, he was able to find beauty amongst the messy parts of life.

We are grateful that he did not suffer long and had his capacities for all his passions. However, the huge void of his big presence will be felt for the remainder of our days.

We wish him joy on this next adventure and know that he is abiding by the words he loved:

Wherever you go, there you are. – Confucius 

Do what you must do and do it well. – B. Dylan

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