Joseph John "Chip" Markow Jr.

MARKOW, Joseph John Jr. "Chip", died on September 12 at MCV Hospitals from head injuries sustained during an accidental fall. He was born in Richmond on December 17, 1940 to Marie W. and Joseph J. Markow, who inspired his impassioned commitment to environmental conservation, historic preservation, and community activism. He advanced these causes with success in Hanover County, where he lived since 1976, and on Church Hill, his spiritual home since childhood. In the mid-1970s, Mr. Markow started his career in real estate with residential sales. In 1980 he established his own firm, Hanover Station Realty, specializing in commercial real estate. Consistent with his love for the rural beauty and historical richness of Hanover County, he focused his business on the preservation and recycling of existing buildings. He actively opposed the suburban sprawl which he believed threatened to degrade the county's character and quality of life. His principled commitment to historic preservation was made personal when, in 1975, he and his wife purchased a long-vacant train station -the former Hanover Station-and moved it to 32 acres nearby. When it was deemed impossible to move the 19th century train station intact, Mr.Markow painstakingly disassembled it and rebuilt it into a comfortable residence for his family. For many years, starting in the late 1970s, he was involved at the civic level in promoting an awareness of and appreciation for the historic features of Hanover County. Running on a platform of controlled growth he was elected to the Hanover County Board of Supervisors (Henry District), unseating a 20-year incumbent. He served on the board from 1988-1992, spearheading the creation of Hanover County Courthouse Historic District, an overlay district designed to preserve and protect the distinctive 18th century seat of county government which includes the Courthouse where Patrick Henry practiced law and the Revolutionary-era Hanover Tavern. Mr. Markow applied the same grit used in battling sprawl to opposing a toxic landfill at the Courthouse and eventually restrictions were applied. He served on the Hanover Citizens Federation-an umbrella group for area civic associations-- for many years as chairman and adviser. The Federation's purpose is to educate and encourage the public to take an active part in Hanover County government. Tireless in his efforts to improve county life on all levels, Mr. Markow corrected an inequity that required Hanover residents to pay long distance phone charges when calling Richmond. He led a campaign in the 1980s that succeeded in incorporating the Hanover Courthouse area into local dialing in greater Richmond. Having attended St. Patrick's School on Church Hill in Richmond, he remained committed to the preservation of the historic church and surrounding community all of his life. He helped initiate the Irish Festival-a popular celebration which has grown into an annual rite of spring -and the Irish Golf Open, two events that helped to bring the church out of debt. Thanks to these and other efforts, St. Patrick's will celebrate its 150th anniversary next year. He was involved in efforts to restore the church to its original condition. He and his wife started a program to offer travel opportunities to senior citizens at St. Patrick's. For nearly 10 years, they organized trips for their older friends, including a memorable visit to the grave of Edgar Allan Poe in Baltimore where they offered a toast to the famous writer, who visited his sweetheart on Church Hill, near St. Patrick's, shortly before his death. Mr. Markow was a licensed pilot, who enjoyed soaring in the skies over Hanover almost as much as he enjoyed horseback riding with family and friends through the rural splendor surrounding the county Courthouse. He is survived by his wife, the former Dorothy Hill, whom he married in 1962; and two daughters, Sherrie Farnsworth and her husband, C.B., of Chesterfield, and Michelle Markow Rennie and her husband, Donald of Midlothian. He has five grandchildren, Chase and Austin Farnsworth and Alexa, Julia and Liza Rennie. Survivors also include two brothers, Theodore J. Markow and Alexander T. Markow of Richmond; and three sisters, Mimi Ward of Virginia Beach, and Josephine Wallmeyer, Jeanne Bridgforth and Jennie Dotts of Richmond. The family expresses its deepest gratitude to the staff of the MCV Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit, Palliative Care Unit, and Hospital Hospitality House. The family will receive friends at Bliley's - Central, 3801 Augusta Ave., Monday, 12 to 2 and 4 to 6 p.m. with a Rosary following. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Tuesday, 1 p.m. at St. Patrick's Catholic Church, 213 N. 25th St. Burial will be at Mount Calvary Cemetery. Mr. Markow held a special fondness for the work of The Daughters of Charity, to whom memorial contributions may be made at 333 South Seton Ave., Emmitsburg, Md. 21727.
This obituary was originally published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.