John Marbles was born in Monroe, La. to the late John Henry Marbles Sr. and Rose Ella (Jones) Marbles, October 16, 1937. John confessed his faith in Christ at an early age while residing in Louisiana.
He attended school in Monroe, Louisiana, graduating from Carroll High School in 1956. He was married to Dianne Wilborn and from that union he had one child, a daughter.
John has always had a love for baseball. As a child in Little Rock, Arkansas, he had the pleasure of being a batboy for the Negro League Baseball games at the old Travelers Field in Fair Park. He got to meet Buck O’Neil, Willie Mays, Roy Campanella and Satchel Paige. As a semi-pro pitcher in Los Angeles and St. Louis, he carried the nick name of “Lefty” for his smoking fast ball during the 1960s.
While living in Los Angeles in the early 60s this long time jazz lover ran into an old Sumner High School class mate of his, Howard Thompson of the newly formed Quartette Tres Bien. John spent the next two months driving them to popular Jazz spots up and down the west coast of California from the famed “It Club” in L.A. to the Light House Jazz Club near San Francisco.
He leaves to cherish his memory: ex-wife, Diane, daughter, Jeannine and son, John Anthony; three sisters, Bessie (Becky) Price, Barbara Green and Gerri McKeever, and a host of nephews, nieces, cousins and friends.