Sheldon I. Markman

1946 - 2023

Sheldon I. Markman
August 7, 1946 - October 27, 2023
Sheldon "Shelly" Ira Markman, beloved prankster, died peacefully on Friday, October 27th with his family by his side. He was 77 years old.
Shelly was born in Brooklyn, New York, to parents Leah and Phillip Markman. He has been making people smile ever since.
After a childhood in Brooklyn and Long Island, Shelly attended American University in Washington, D.C. There he met his wife, Ellen Markman, with whom he later moved to Stanford, California.
In his long career designing and brokering benefits packages for small companies, Shelly was known for his warmth, reliability, care for his clients and expert knowledge. In his family and friendships, his generosity, kindness and humor made him the heart of every gathering.
He is survived by his wife, Ellen Markman, his daughter and son-in-law, Erin Markman and Olin Winn-Ritzenberg, cherished grandchildren Omri and Asa Ritzenberg, sisters Sandy Kuskin and Monica Rozin, brother-in-law Jerry Kuskin, sister-in-law Susan Mindlin, and a remarkable network of extended family, friends and colleagues, all of whom loved him dearly.
There are stories we could tell of extraordinary things Shelly did in his life-for example, driving by a burning building and stopping to run inside to help-but he will be most remembered for the specialness of his everyday interactions. When Shelly shared the news of his terminal cancer diagnosis with his community, he received countless letters and phone calls from so many people who loved him. (True to form, he joked: "If I knew people were going to be this nice, I would have gotten sick a lot sooner.") Notes arrived daily, for months, sharing sentiments of gratitude for his friendship and recounting funny stories. So many highlighted his warm presence, his generous spirit, and his unparalleled bear hugs.
He brought immeasurable joy to the world. His memory will be a blessing for us all.