Ernesto Márquez, 86, of Monon, IN passed away peacefully on Wednesday night, Dec. 7th after battling b-cell lymphoma cancer since his diagnosis in February earlier this year.

 

He was born on February 5, 1936 in Durango, Durango, Mexico to Leopoldo Márquez and Eloisa Quiñones. As a kid, Ernesto got the nickname “Caruso” from his peers for being a stand out singer in school.  At first he didn’t like it, as it made him feel they were making fun of him.  However, after his dad explained to him who Enrico Caruso was and what a talented singer he was, he embraced the nickname and it stuck to him for the rest of his life. In his youth, Ernesto was an avid soccer player. During his mandatory one-year military service at 18 yrs old, he and his Durango team competed in the National Soccer Championship and came home with the title of Runner-Up Champions in 1955. The World Cup season was always a special time for him and his family to indulge in soccer watching together. 

 

In the summer of 1969, he met an intriguing American Spanish teacher, named Susan E. Steele, who became his guitar student. In less than a year, they got married on June 27, 1970 at the North Liberty United Methodist Church, being the first to be married by a Catholic priest there. They celebrated their 52nd wedding anniversary while he was at Hickory Creek Healthcare in Crawfordsville, IN.

 

Ernesto was a music teacher & entertainer and never stopped performing or teaching.  In Mexico, he was Master of Ceremonies, lead singer, & guitarist of the Nuco Cisneros Orchestra of Durango for 6 years.  During that time, he was best known for playing modern melodies at intermission so couples could continue dancing. He was also in El Chato Romero’s Orchestra, later forming his own groups that performed regularly. He taught groups in over 60 institutions including: Universidad Juarez, El Quinteto Nocturnal, La Rondalla Universitaria, CERESO (classes for prisoners), CECAPI (school for the blind), DIF (Durango cultural center), Tercera Edad (center for Senior Citizens), Military groups (who performed in front of two Mexican Presidents), private schools, State Education Board, troubled youth groups, Recursos Hidraulicos (city planning group), INJUVE (classes for underprivileged youth), banks, and many others. He also gave private lessons to generations of Durango’s most distinguished and influential families. He got to perform on two occasions to his top musical icons - internationally most beloved bolero group for the Golden Age, Trio Los Panchos. One of his roles in Durango included being in charge of choosing the talent to perform for a tv show called “Durango en Domingo”, as he got a lot of joy discovering new talent and inspiring others to pursue music.

 

In 1986, he & his family moved from Durango and started a new life in Monon, IN. His focus on music changed and took a different route. He performed for many high schools, events, restaurants, and festivals, as well as gave music lessons to individuals and groups in Indiana and Illinois. Locally, he was well known for making delicious Mexican food for Susan’s Spanish classes. Often the students would ask on the first day of school, “When do we get to go to your house and eat your husband’s food?”

 

He loved giving classes more than anything and would travel yearly to Durango to teach large groups and do special projects. These special projects included television performances, radio broadcasts, recording music, planning for his book signing gala & more. In 2020, Ernesto asked his author and friend Alfredo Antonio Solano Arrellano to write his biographical book titled “Entre Cuerdas y Pensamientos” (Between Chords and Thoughts) about his life and musical groups. He made two CDs while in Durango: “Grandes Autores - Canciones Inmortales” (Great authors - immortal songs) and “Reviviendo el Ayer” (Reliving yesterday). If you’d like to listen to his music to honor his memory, it is available on youtube and spotify. 

 

Ernesto is survived by his wife Susan, their children Elta Márquez, Tanya Márquez (partner Adam Romero), Elsworth Marquez (wife Dena Albano) , all from Chicago; daughter Esmeralda (husband Rodney) Woodcock, grandchildren Daniel and Emily Woodcock - all from Indianapolis; brothers Erasmo (wife Felix) Márquez from Durango, Dgo.; Gerardo (wife Nena) Márquez of Chimayo NM, along with many nieces and nephews all over Mexico and the US. He was preceded in death by his parents, his sister Otilia & brother in-law Luis Miguel Garcia of Anthony NM, nephews Jose Luis Garcia of El Paso, TX & Fernando Márquez of Durango, MX.

 

In lieu of flowers and in his honor, Ernesto would like for family and friends to donate to any charity focused on education, music, or the care of senior citizens. The family appreciates the wonderful care he received at Monticello Healthcare and Southern Care Hospice, Crawfordsville’s Hickory Creek Healthcare and Kindred Hospice.

 

Celebration of Life Service will be held on Saturday June 24, 2023 12:00 PM (EDT) at the Monon United Methodist Church. Pastor Adrienne Hinshaw to officiate. 

 

Please share memories and condolences online at www.clapperfuneralservices.com.