Randall Marquis, former District Court judge, dies

Randall Marquis, a longtime Yakima lawyer who was a Yakima County District Court judge in the 1990s, died Tuesday. He was 82.

Marquis died at Yakima Regional Medical and Cardiac Center from an unspecified illness. Former colleagues said he had been in declining health for several years.

"It was a pleasure to work with him," District Judge Rod Fitch said. "He was always a gentleman. Always even-keeled. No up days, down days. And you know he loved to sing."

Singing, in fact, was something Marquis' former colleagues noted right away as word of the judge's death spread through the courthouse.

Fitch said Marquis loved show tunes and could always be counted on for a song at various gatherings and get-togethers.

Marquis was born Nov. 20, 1926, and was a 1944 graduate of Lincoln High in Seattle.

After serving in the Army, he attended the University of Washington for a few months before going to drama school at the Pasadena Play House School of the Theater for a couple of years.

Seven years later, he returned to the University of Washington and earned an undergraduate degree in Business. He later graduated from the University of Washington law school in 1966.

Some remembered Marquis for his long law partnership with the late George Martin before Marquis was appointed to replace District Judge John Nicholson in 1989.

"He was a remarkable human being, a good lawyer and a good judge," said Martin's son, Jonathan Martin, a former Yakima municipal judge who once clerked for Marquis. "He was a good friend, and we're all going to miss him."

Marquis' promotion to the bench was not without its rough spots. Six months earlier he lost a hard-fought campaign for District Court to Dirk Marler, who said he was happy to report that both men forgave and forgot.

"Even though we started out with a little trepidation, maybe some ill feelings toward one another, Randy and I quickly came to appreciate and respect one another and ended up having a very good working relationship," said Marler, now head of judicial services for the Administrative Office of the Courts in Olympia.

Marquis was involved with the Little Theater program and was a member of Allied Arts for many years.

Marler and others said Marquis stayed active after his retirement in 1998 but was never the same after the death of his wife, Ann, in February 2007.

"It's a surprise, but not a shock," Marler said, adding, "Randy was a class act, and I'll always remember that about him."

Funeral arrangements are being handled by Keith and Keith Funeral Home. Details are pending.

* Chris Bristol can be reached at 577-7748 or cbristol@yakimaherald.com.