Christopher A. Marks, 51, a former Lincolnwood resident and co-founder of one of the nation’s largest Spanish-language radio groups, died of a heart attack last week at a hospital near his home in Los Gatos, Calif.
A Chicago native, Mr. Marks served in various positions with the City of Chicago and as executive vice president of the Mark IV Realty Group, a Chicago real estate development firm.
After he moved to California in the mid-1980s, he co-founded EXCL Communications with his wife, Athena Sofios Marks, a former vice president and station manager of WOJO radio in Chicago. They built EXCL into the nation’s second-largest Spanish-language radio station group, with 17 stations in eight cities, said his nephew, George Marks.
Mr. Marks also was a director of Latin Communications Group Inc., a multimedia corporation in New York. He was active with national broadcasting groups, including the National Association of Broadcasters.
Other survivors include his mother, Beatrice; a son, Christopher Andre II; and a brother, John.
A service was held Tuesday at St. Andrew Greek Orthodox Church in Chicago.
