Marks family celebrates 117th annual reunion

MIDDLETOWN — The Marks family recently celebrated 117 years of gathering annually at Judy Flanagan’s Uncle Red’s farm.

The event is held every second Sunday in July, according to Flanagan. During that time, her family has grown from one young couple to over 250 members.

“Some joined as babies, some children, some as brides or grooms, however, for the last 65 years, we have come together as the 65th annual Marks family picnic. From the wonderful food shared as family recipes continue, the lollipop garden that as children we could not wait to get to pick lollipops that only grew once a year, the wiffle ball or volleyball game, horseshoes, and most assuredly the water balloon toss,” she wrote in a news release.

“From the old to the new, how blessed we are to have continued this tradition from our childhood through adulthood to our children, and, in some cases, our grandchildren and great grandchildren. We are blessed to have each other and how blessed we are to live in this land of freedom and opportunity,” Flanagan said.

Flanagan’s grandmother and grandfather had enough “faith and courage to leave their homes and their families 117 years ago to make a new life for their family in America, arriving in New York on the Furst Bismarck May 3, 1901, with only $20 between them,” according to research conducted by Linda Marks Pauling.

Contributed photo The Marks family has held a reunion every second Sunday in July for more than a century. Sixty-five years ago, they began gathering for a picnic in Middletown on the family property.