Richard B. Markus ’49

Dick died Oct. 29, 2025, in Rancho Mirage, Calif., at age 98.

Born in St. Paul, Minn., his family moved to Winnetka, Ill., and then Haverford, Pa., where he graduated from the Haverford School. Childhood summers were spent on Gull Lake in Minnesota. He served in the Navy as a combat air crewman from 1945 to 1946. At Princeton, he earned a degree in economics and was a member of Tiger Inn, sang with the Tigertones, and starred in Triangle Club shows.

Dick began his career at Merrill Lynch and then joined the investment firm Smith, Barney & Co., first in Philadelphia and then in San Francisco, where he spent most of his working life.

A sailor, tennis player, and skier, Dick once sailed as a crewman with friends across the Pacific to Tahiti. Throughout his life he performed in singing groups and was an influential member of San Francisco’s Bohemian Club for many years.

Dick lived in the Palm Springs, Calif., area for over a decade in his later years and had a close group of friends, his “Bridge Buddies,” who joined him for weekly bridge games. He was known for his positivity, humor, and optimism, and was always an inspiration for a good time.

Dick’s brother, with whom he remained close, Norbert W. “Bill” Markus Jr. ’47, predeceased him. He is survived by his niece and nephews, his grand nieces and nephews, and longtime close friends.