Frances Olivia (Wells) Marquez, 83

Frances Olivia (Wells) Marquez, beloved mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend, passed away peacefully on June 8, 2026, at the age of 83. Her warmth, wit, and friendly smile will be missed by all who knew her.

Raised in College Park during its idyllic southern heyday, she enjoyed a carefree childhood on Cambridge Avenue with her devoted, hard-working parents, Frances and Jack Wells, and her siblings, Susan and Jack. Livy joined the Camp Fire Girls, took piano lessons, and even twirled a flaming baton as a majorette. After graduating from College Park High School in 1960, she enrolled at Mercer University (Phi Mu), withdrawing after her junior year to marry her college sweetheart, Charles B. Youmans, Jr. She spent her twenties happily raising two children as an F.B.I. wife, moving from Georgia to Kentucky, Illinois, New Jersey, and in 1972, Puerto Rico, a tropical paradise that became her heart’s home.

In 1974 her marriage ended but she remained on the island, working full-time, juggling the duties of a single mom, and sustaining the family’s Caribbean adventure. Three years later, on August 17, 1977, she married the love of her life, James Marquez, a gregarious New Yor-ican somehow as beautiful as she was. Jimmy, later “Papi” and “Baba,” adored his new family and integrated them into a riotously happy Latino world. Livy danced the salsa, learned Puerto Rican cooking – her specialties were flan and arroz con habichuelas – and sunbathed on weekends year-round.

Returning to Georgia in the summer of 1984, she took a course on real estate and discovered a passion that occupied her 24/7 until her retirement in 2008. She loved everything about the job: bright colleagues, interesting clients, splendid homes, and the chance to provide a good life for her family. Two years after earning her license, Olivia (as her colleagues knew her) was the highest-grossing agent for Bullard Realty. Later she joined PCMG and the Home Source, where she was a fixture in the Million Dollar Club and often won Agent of the Month. In 1996 she earned recognition from the Fayette County Board of Realtors as the county’s Top Producer. Her success in business would have been particularly gratifying to her father, a vice president with Pepsi-Cola, who passed too soon to see his daughter provide down payments for her children’s first houses and buy herself a Jim Strickland home on the lake in Smokerise. She lived out her golden years there with Jimmy and their precious Havanese, Lola.

Along with her father’s business acumen, Olivia inherited her mother’s joyful creativity and amiable spirit. She was a fine musician, playing Beethoven and Richard Rodgers on the family piano when her kids were young, and supporting them emotionally and financially when they chose careers in the arts. Elizabeth, a photographer, moved to New York, pounded the pavement, and within a year saw her own work on the sides of that city’s buses. Charles, a professor of music history at Penn State, built an international reputation as a scholar of Richard Strauss and Gustav Mahler.

Olivia’s four grandchildren – Frances, Hannah, Max, and Obi – were her pride and joy. She took them on beach trips, fed them home-cooked southern meals, laughed with them at Papi/Baba’s antics, and taught them to weather adversity and stand up for what’s right. They admired her fortitude, which had helped her survive breast cancer long before they were born. They watched her smile through tears when the family said goodbye to Jimmy in 2013. They learned of her experiences as a pre-teen on segregated buses in the 1950s, when she felt ashamed that black passengers had to vacate their seats for her because she was white. Her strength of character never faltered; to the end she spoke out daily as her country and some old friends lost their way. And she was fortunate to see her grandchildren grow into young adults with that same fearlessness – flying planes, living independently on another continent, and staying true to themselves.

For those closest to her, the strongest memories will always be the little things. She was a snacker. She used suntan oil instead of sunscreen. She drove with two feet, and braked hard in the passenger seat. She drank half a beer every evening. She texted like a Roman candle, most of them news-related. She never missed a full moon over the lake. She loved giving presents, especially clothes. She had a lifelong crush on Elvis. She heaped raw onions on her Varsity dogs. She owned enough Christmas decorations for ten families. She regretted trading her Explorer for a CRV. She made the absolute best chocolate chip cookies. She was one of a kind, and we will miss her.

Olivia is survived by her sister, Susan Page (Bruce), of Bradenton, Florida; brother, Jack Wells, of Peachtree City; daughter, Elizabeth Gholston, of Peachtree City; son Charles Youmans (Nancy), of State College, Pennsylvania; grandsons Max and Obi Gholston, of Peachtree City; granddaughters Frances Youmans, of Bremen, Germany, and Hannah Youmans, of Berlin, Germany; four nephews, one niece, and ten grandnieces/nephews. Donations may be made in her name to the ASPCA (aspca.org).