Marquis "Mark" Francis Andrews

Marquis (Mark) Francis Andrews, 82, a 35 year resident of Ridgecrest CA, passed away on June 26th 2023 after a battle with cancer. He died at his home with his loving family by his side.

Mark is survived by his wife of 45 years, Jeanne (Nierman) Andrews of Ridgecrest CA, his children; Monique (Andrews) Elsworth of Crystal River, Fla, Bill Andrews and Elizabeth Leahy of Ridgecrest CA and Christopher Andrews and Andrea (Garcia) Andrews of Fort Worth, Texas. His grandchildren; Jack Craycraft, Katie Kehlenbrink, Nick Elsworth, Allie Elsworth, Brooke Elsworth, Ethan Elsworth, Faye Andrews, Louis Andrews, Taylor Andrews, Riley Andrews and his 10 great grandchildren.

Mark was born in South Norwalk, Connecticut on February 2nd, 1941. He attended Chula Vista High School and enlisted in the United States Marine Corp at the age of 17.  Mark, who served 25 years, remained filled with pride about his military service.  He was honored to be an active and retired member of the USMC. Among his many military experiences he fought in Vietnam and served at the US Embassy in The Republic of Ghana in West Africa.  Following his retirement from the military Mark worked for 26 years as a parachute rigger at the Naval Air Weapons Station at China Lake, CA.

Those who knew Mark will remember him as a storyteller, recounting his many travels and life experiences.  As a skydiver, Mark had 171 jumps to his name. He was an avid racing fan and traveled with the NASCAR tour catering for the teams.  Mark was a serious baseball card collector and loved his hobby of working with 7 ½ gauge trains. At Christmas time he volunteered with the Sagebrush Shortline Railroad offering holiday train rides for children in the community. Mark volunteered at the China Lake Naval Museum foundation.  He was a member of the Veterans of Foreign War and the Fraternal Order of the Eagles in Ridgecrest.

Mark will be missed by all who knew him. His greatest pride was his family and they, especially, feel the loss of their beloved husband, dad and papa.