Marko J. Trapani Sr.

Marko J. Trapani, Sr.

Resident of Los Gatos

May 27, 1937 - June 28, 2010

Marko John Trapani, Sr. - visionary entrepreneur; devoted husband, father and grandfather; mentor and friend to every person whose life he touched (and there are many) - died on Monday, June 28, 2010, leaving a legacy of love, generosity, vision and integrity that will live on forever.

The third son of Joseph and Eleanor Trapani, Marko was born and raised in the Willow Glen area of San Jose. He attended Bellarmine Prep School and Willow Glen High School, where he lettered in basketball and graduated at age 16.

By the time he was 20 years old, Marko had already worked - and excelled - in a variety of fields, from the once-ubiquitous San Jose canneries to the insurance industry (more on that later) to the bowling business (managing Saratoga Lanes, facilitating the opening of Futurama Bowl in San Jose and - most importantly - bowling two perfect games). Marko also served his country for two years, as a Military Policeman in the United States National Guard.

Marko met his wife of 49 years, Marlene (Taormina) Trapani, in 1956, when, as Marlene lovingly recalls, her date to a Willow Glen High School dance insisted that Marlene join him in a line of students waiting to shake charismatic young Marko's hand. Marko and his bride were married in 1961.

Marko returned to the insurance business in the early 1960s, first as a founding partner in two insurance agencies - Longwello, Miller & Trapani and Edwards, Longwello & Trapani, - and, later, as a worldwide sales leader and top-producing life-insurance agent for Great Southern Life Insurance. Marko's sales success boiled down to a simple philosophy: find out what people want and help them get it. Armed with this ethos, Marko was Great Southern's top salesman in the nation three years in a row; Marko sold one prominent businessman a $10 million dollar life insurance policy - the largest of its kind at the time.

Having conquered the world of insurance, Marko set his sights on a new frontier in the 1970s: the cardroom business. Marko's initial ventures included the Miracle Mile Casino in San Jose, the Comstock Club in Santa Clara and the Cameo Club in Palo Alto, where Marko and his compatriots took the lead in popularizing no-limit Texas Hold 'Em.

Marko realized a life-long dream in the early 1990s, when he joined forces with the Bumb family in creating San Jose's own Bay 101 Club - one of the two remaining cardrooms in the city. With the Bay 101, Marko achieved another professional milestone by creating The Shooting Star Tournament, which continues to draw the world's best players and is part of the celebrated World Poker Tour (WPT). Marko himself participated in the World Series of Poker, even finishing in the top 50 in the mid-1990s (ahead of several top players, he would add). Numerous all-time poker greats, many of whom are among Marko's dearest friends, have called Marko "the greatest cardroom owner/operator in the business."

Ultimately, Marko would say that all of his accomplishments and accolades would mean nothing without the one true passion in his life: his family. Marko reveled in quality time with the people he loved; whether he was casting a fishing pole with his sons, brothers and friends, trading stock from the leather armchair in his office, or dealing up a spontaneous game of Texas Hold 'Em with his children and grandchildren, Marko lived life fully, joyously - and with a big dose of humor. One of Marko's favorite pastimes was making people laugh. His keen wit and infectious personality were like a magnet, drawing people of all ages to his side.

Marko is survived by his beloved wife, Marlene; his four sons, David, Marko, Jr., Christopher and Andrew, of whom he could not be more proud; his brothers, Andrew and Joseph; his daughters-in-law, Teresa, Tammy and Kirsten, whom he loved as his own; and eleven beautiful grand children - Michael, Danielle, Kyle, Gabriella, A.J., Rocco, Marko III, Nik, Paul, Marissa and Lexi - to whom Marko was the joke-cracking, twinkle-eyed, candy-dispensing, big-hearted, adoring grandfather known, simply, as "Pop."

Please join us to celebrate Marko's life at the Saratoga Federated Church 14370 Saratoga Avenue Saratoga, CA 95070 on Thursday, July 8, 2010 at 2:00 p.m.

Donations may be made in memory of Marko Trapani to the Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis (CPF). 10866 W. Washington Blvd #343 Culver City, CA 90232 http://coalitionforpf.org/cpf_contribute.php.