Chris Markley

To view the livestream of the funeral service Tuesday at 10 AM, please click here.

Chris Markley, age 78, of Needham, MA passed away on Saturday, April 18, at her home.  She was born in Palmer, MA to Aram and Mary Nahabedian, and attended Colby College where she met her future husband, George Markley, of blessed memory. The two wed and ultimately settled in Fairfield, Connecticut where they lived out their 51 years of marriage together, building a community of friends and neighbors they truly loved.

Following college, Chris began to teach seventh grade English at Middlebrook School in Wilton, CT. She was the consummate educator, deeply dedicated to her students’ learning and mastery of the English language. She paused in her teaching profession after the birth of their son, only to return to the exact same classroom at Middlebrook a decade later to continue enriching students’ minds. Chris served as head of her department at school and committed a great deal of time to developing creative inter-departmental learning opportunities that brought language arts together with social studies, math, and science to help students see the connections between these disciplines. She remained steadfastly dedicated to her Middlebrook students until her retirement.

Chris was a dedicated member of Congregation B’nai Israel in Bridgeport where she served as Sisterhood President and built a community she loved, surrounded by friends. She was blessed to find a second synagogue home at Temple Beth Shalom in Needham, MA, where her son has served as rabbi since 2006.

Chris is survived by her brother, Aram Nahabedian and his wife Chris, of Newtown, CT, her sister, Marlene Parnell and her husband Tom, of Westfield, MA, her children, Rabbi Todd and Michele Markley of Needham, MA, and her beloved grandchildren, Mia and Adam, in addition to her beloved nieces and nephews and their children.

The funeral service will be held at Congregation B’nai Israel, 2710 Park Avenue in Bridgeport, CT, at 10:00 am on Tuesday, April 21.   Those who wish to view the funeral service online can do so at this link at 10:00 am on Tuesday: https://bit.ly/ChrisMarkleyService

 Chris’s family asks that those who knew her share memories and stories of her through this online form so they can hold onto them for years to come: https://bit.ly/ChrisMarkleyMemories

Donations in Chris’s memory can be made to “Rabbi Markley’s Discretionary Fund” at Temple Beth Shalom, 670 Highland Ave, Needham, MA 02494.