|
 |
Herb married Dorothy Wirth in 1943 and had his first child, Diane Marie in 1944. Three months after their next daughter, Jeanne Anita was born in 1947, Dorothy died suddenly of a heart condition. Herb moved back home to get help with his daughters. He met his future wife Jean Darling Carmichael through mutual friends Bea and Jerry Robenstein. Herb and Jean married in 1949, and Jean adopted his daughters and cared for them as if they were her own. Jean and Herb had two more children: Linda Ann in 1951 and James Irving in 1954. Their family home was at 72 Beresford Road in Rochester until 1977, when Jean and Herb built their dream retirement home in Geneseo (see Darling Lake).
As a young man, Herb worked at Delco, which Diane believes made batteries. A co-worker named John Oakes talked him into starting an outdoor business together. After several years, Herb bought out Oakes' part of the business and created "Herb's Service", which provided snow removal, landscaping, and general home maintainence to the wealthy of Rochester. Diane remembers that after dinner many nights, he would need to leave the house to go stoke the furnaces of his clients. The 4 children would take turns going with him, riding in the Jeep with their father and often enjoying a snack of cookies and milk from the cooks at the mansions. Herb was known for employing all the young boys on the street and his daughters' boyfriends. His son, Jim, always worked with him also. Herb retired from work in 1979. To see the poem Diane wrote him upon this occasion, click here.
Herb enjoyed hunting, fishing, stamp collecting and in later years he enjoyed the beautiful view from his chair in the den. He always watched Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! without fail each evening from 7:00 to 8:00pm. He loved to eat icecream, and had a weakness for strawberry milkshakes from Minnehan's. Herb teased people mercilessly, and nicknamed many family members and friends (Diane=Punky, Jeanne=Snicksey, Linda=Devil, Shelley=Zazzie, Jimmy=Bobby, etc.). He was well known for what Shelley and Carrie call "The Grandpa Grab", which involves a tight grip just above one's knee that had the power to paralyze!
Although Herb battled asthma all his life, he was generally very healthy and robust until he broke his leg in a fall in the early 90's. At the end of the 90's, he was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, which gradually took away his independence and health until he died on March 20, 2004.
To contribute more information/remembrances, contact me.
 |
 |
| Herb Marquardt, baby | His birth announcement |
 |
 |
| Herb, 1932 | Approx. 1942 |
 |
 |
| First Marriage to Dorothy Wirth With Baby Jeanne and Toddler Diane, 1947 |
Second Marriage to Jean Darling Carmichael, 1949 |
 |
 |
| Marquardt Family Portrait circa 1960 | Herb with his first granddaughter, Shelley, who he nicknamed "Zazzie". Circa 1970. |
 |
 |
| Herb, approx 1982 | Herb, 1999 |
 |
 |
| Classic photo of Herb taken by Jim Carrick, mid 1980s with Queen II. | Herb with 3 of his great-grandchildren (Jackson Pulizzi, Samuel and Benjamin DeLosh) sitting in his favorite spot on Jim's cottage lawn. July 1999. His great-grandchildren called him "Big Grandpa". |
| Home | Darling | Sleggs | Carmichael | Marquardt |
