Accomplished whistler and prolific letter-writer Gene Carroll Marlowe, 83, of Landrum, shuffled off his mortal coil May 3, 2012, two months after receiving a diagnosis of a terminal brain tumor, Glioblastoma multiforme.
On March 7, 2012 Gene and the love of his life, Michele Mercier Marlowe, were remarried in the Spartanburg Regional Hospital after learning of his serious illness. Gene and Michele had been married for 34 years and were divorced for nine years before reuniting.
Born Aug. 13, 1928, in Columbus, Ga., Gene grew up in cotton mill villages of Thomaston and Porterdale, Ga. As an 11-year-old, he ran away from home to visit the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C. At 17 years old in 1945, he enlisted in the Navy as a photographer and saw the world from the cockpits of dive bombers and the decks of aircraft carriers. After four years in the Navy, he enrolled at the University of Miami on the GI Bill. While there, he studied radio, television and theater. Encouraged by his fans at Miami’s Studio M Theater, Gene left school after four years, borrowed a car and drove to Hollywood, Calif. There, he began working as an actor. He appeared in numerous episodes of early TV series, and ultimately shared the screen with Lloyd Bridges and Joan Taylor in Roger Corman’s “Apache Woman.” After retiring from acting, Gene became an industrial filmmaker with the trucking industry.
In 1977, Gene moved his family to Tallahassee, Fla., where he worked with the Florida Hotel Motel Association for many years before retiring in the early 1990s. His retirement years were spent with his family in Lexington, Va., until he moved to the Tryon and Landrum area in 2003.
Friends and family will remember Gene as an avid and curious reader, an incisive social critic, a keen wit, a creative problem solver and an independent thinker. His engaging stories and ad hoc academic lectures will be missed, along with his quick jokes and rare harmonica concerts.
Gene is survived by his first wife, Dorothy Marlowe of Portland, Ore.; his current wife, Michele Marlowe; son Duff Marlowe and grandson Joe of Glendale, Calif.; son Brandon Marlowe and grandson, Jackson, of Santa Monica, Calif.; son, Devon Marlowe and grandson, Joshua of Chico, Calif.; and son, Seth Marlowe of Roanoke, Va. He is also survived by his brother, Rex Marlowe, of Macon, Ga. and sister, Bobbie Meston, of Orlando, Fla.
His family is especially thankful to a host of friends in Landrum and Tryon who devotedly supported Gene and his family in the last months of Gene’s life.
A celebration of Gene’s life will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 19, 2012, at Gene’s home in Landrum. All are welcome.
In lieu of flowers, please consider sending donations to Hospice House of the Carolina Foothills, 260 Fairwinds Road, Landrum S.C. 29356. 864-457-9100.