Rosario “Russ” Marquez, age 73, passed away on December 31, 2025. Born in Bakersfield in 1952, Russ was the tenth of thirteen children born to Carmen and Tomas Marquez.
Russ entered the United States Navy in 1971 and proudly served until he was honorably discharged in 1974. While in the Navy, he received training in plumbing and pipefitting and decided to make it a successful career that lasted 50 years. Twenty-Five of those years were spent at the California Men’s Colony as a journeyman plumber.
In February of 1979, Susan and Russ met when he came to fix the plumbing at her apartment. They married 2 years later. He is also survived by his son Gabriel, grandchildren Jay, Bonnie Rose and Stevie Marie. Additionally, he is survived by 2 brothers, 4 sisters, and numerous relatives. Russ was an honest and kind person who loved his family very much.
Services will be held 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, January 8, 2026 in the Chapel of Magner-Maloney Funeral Home, 600 East Stowell Road, Santa Maria, CA. Interment will follow in the Santa Maria Cemetery, South Lawn.
