WHEREAS, the Honorable Ronald Harris Marks, a former chief judge of the Virginia Beach Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court, died on October 1, 2020; and

WHEREAS, Ronald "Ron" Harris Marks grew up in Bay Shore, New York, where he graduated from Bay Shore High School and spent many summers working as a lifeguard on nearby Jones Beach Island; and

WHEREAS, after receiving a bachelor's degree from Otterbein College in Ohio, Ron Marks came to the Commonwealth to earn a law degree from Washington and Lee University; and

WHEREAS, Ron Marks settled in Virginia Beach and established White & Marks, P.C., where he served the community as an attorney until 1986, when he was appointed as a judge of the Virginia Beach Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court of the 2nd Judicial District of Virginia; and

WHEREAS, Ron Marks presided over the Virginia Beach Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court with great fairness and wisdom for two decades, including eight years as chief judge; and

WHEREAS, during that period, Ron Marks played an instrumental role in the creation of the Virginia Beach Bar Association Concerned Lawyers Advocating Spousal Safety, an award-winning program that provides pro-bono representation to survivors of domestic abuse; and

WHEREAS, Ron Marks retired from the bench in 2006, having served the Virginia Beach community and the Commonwealth with dedication and distinction; and

WHEREAS, Ron Marks will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by his wife of 29 years, Linda; his sons, Jeffrey and Ryan, and their families; and numerous other family members and friends; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Delegates hereby note with great sadness the loss of the Honorable Ronald Harris Marks, a respected former judge in Virginia Beach; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of the Honorable Ronald Harris Marks as an expression of the House of Delegates' respect for his memory.