Thomas Lloyd Markey

A linguist, professor, outdoor enthusiast, student of the world he travelled so well, brother, kind father, loving husband, and light in the life of those around him, Thomas Lloyd Markey passed away on the evening of August 17, 2022 at age 82 in Tucson, Arizona. Perfect was not a word in his vocabulary, but curiosity, creativity, and determination were. Tom lived a life of discovery, sharing humor and knowledge with those he met. As a child, he learned to keep bees, raise chickens, garden, draw and paint, and take apart old radios to find the source of the sounds it produced. After completing his education, Tom taught at Harvard University and The University of Michigan. He also had international visiting professorships and various professional honors and awards. As a linguist, Tom focused on Indo-European languages. His research of extinct and current languages provided interpretations of writings found on excavated artifacts, among other things, which he and his colleagues used to reconstruct the oldest form of the language, Proto-Indo-European. One goal was to figure out what might be the basic constructs of human language. Tom also started and ran a publishing company, so the results of linguistic research might reach a wider audience. His interest in current languages took him beyond Indo-European to other cultures and language groups. He spent time with the Fox Tribe of the Meskwaki Nation in Tama, Iowa, where he helped implement a language preservation initiative in its very earliest stages. Tom loved people and as a gifted cook, he entertained his family and friends with creative meals, one of which was to recreate the meal from the wonderful book Babette's Feast. His adventures were inspiring, from crossing the Sahara on foot/camel to riding down a tributary of the Amazon on hand-made log rafts. He also loved hiking, fishing, and hunting, and the stories are endless and hilarious. Tom leaves a legacy of discoveries in his publications and collaborations with others, and vivid memories in those he touched. In lieu of flowers, please make donations in his memory to Pima Monthly Meeting (Quakers) (https://www.pmm.life/donate ) or The Wikimedia Foundation (https://wikimediafoundation.org/ ).