Thursday, November 30, 0002
Alan Markson, co-owner of Franklin Furniture for years, died Feb. 9 at age 83. Though he had had heart problems, Markson's death was unexpected, said his daughter, Peggy Kappy. "He was doing the Cryptoquip puzzle in The Denver Post." One of the last things he did was write out checks to several charities. They were ready to mail. "He always gave to education and kids," Kappy said. Markson and his brother-in-law, Isadore Kozatch, opened Franklin Furniture together in 1945. The firm had several locations in Denver. Markson was vice president. Kozatch was in charge of furniture, and Markson concentrated on carpeting. Franklin did carpeting for businesses, homes and apartments in Denver, Pueblo and Salt Lake City. One of its biggest contracts was carpeting the 2,000-unit Windsor Gardens. Franklin Furniture grossed more than $1 million in 1963, according to a Denver Post story. The company closed in the 1990s. "Alan was a shrewd businessman," said Jack Shaffer, longtime customer and friend. Shaffer owned and managed several office buildings, all of which Markson carpeted. "He never said anything you couldn't believe." Markson always taught his children to tell the truth because "it will be the easiest to remember," his daughter said. Markson liked cooking, but after his wife, Helen, died in 2005, he never used the kitchen again, and loved showing off the spotless room, his daughter said. "He had a great sense of humor." Markson ate every meal out, sticking to favorite places and food. "He always had a veggie omelet when we went out twice a week," said Shaffer. Alan C. Markson was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., on June 19, 1927. He helped the family, which struggled through the Depression, by selling newspapers on the street. Even the nickel he made each day helped the family, said Kappy. Markson graduated from New York's Stuyvesant High School and at 16 enrolled in a mechanical-engineering course at the University of Virginia. He had to borrow money to buy a jacket and tie, which were required at the college. "But he wasn't a mechanic," said his daughter. "He had a drawer full of tools he never used." He met Helen Epstein when he was stationed at Buckley Field in Aurora, and they married on Aug. 18, 1948. He enrolled at the University of Denver, where he majored in business. "That was a good thing for all of us," his daughter said. In addition to his daughter, Markson is survived by a son, Dr. Jay Markson; two brothers, Robert Markson and Dick Markson; and two grandchildren. Virginia Culver: 303-954-1223 or vculver@denverpost.com
