Obituary of Gilbert Cajetan “Gil” Marquez

06-080 (Do not delete this line. It does not print. Text that is to appear on web must be entered after this line) Gilbert Cajetan Marquez, age 79 years, of Pitman, NJ, passed peacefully away on September 1 at his home after a lengthy illness. He was born on August 7, 1927 in Alamosa, Colorado, and lived in Sacramento, California, and Wayne, Pennsylvania, before moving to Pitman in 1970. He was a Civil Engineer, with a degree from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and held a variety of posts in the aerospace industry before becoming Director of Engineering for British Petroleums terminals in the Northeast. In his retirement, he was an active member of Our Lady Queen of Peace Church in Pitman, and was a past officer of the St. Vincent de Paul Society. He was a member of Catholic Golden Age, helped run the food pantry at Our Lady Queen of Peace and delivered Meals On Wheels to shut-ins in the community. He prepared income tax returns for senior citizens as an AARP volunteer, and was a long time volunteer at the Hospitaller Brothers of St. John of God School for Special Children in Westville. He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Lorraine Ferland Marquez, originally from Middlebury Vermont. Gilbert and Lorraine met in Denver, Colorado, and were married in Rome, Italy on July 1, 1955. He is survived by their children, Gilbert J. Marquez (Jeanette) and Rita M. Williams (Richard) of Pitman; Susanna L. Marquez (Scott) of Newark, Delaware; and Lorraine M. Chapman (John) of West Hartford, Connecticut. Also survived by brothers Roque and Lawrence Marquez, sister Lucy Ruybal, all of Littleton, Colorado, sister Fede Maestas of Gooding, Idaho; brother Raymond Marquez of Walnut Creek, California; and sister Geraldine Banks of Huntingdon Beach, California. His brother Gabriel Marquez, sisters Mary Newman and Carmen Lynch, and son Paul predeceased him. He is survived by 12 grandchildren, Maria and Anita Marquez, Isabel, Amalia, Gabriel and Gilbert Williams, all of Pitman; Patrick, John, and Paul Driscoll, of Newark, Delaware; and Leah, Keith, and Peter Chapman, of West Hartford, Connecticut. A Funeral Mass will be held on Wednesday, September 6, at 11:00 AM in Our Lady Queen of Peace Church, 161 Pitman Avenue, Pitman. Friends and family may call at the church one hour before. Cremation will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the St. Vincent de Paul Society, Our Lady Queen of Peace Church, 161 Pitman Ave., Pitman, NJ 08071.