U. S. Army Spc. Christophe J. Marquis was injured on August 27th during an attack. He and his unit were in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, when the attack took place. Spc. Marquis was taken to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, in Germany, where he later died from the injuries he sustained on September 4th.
Funeral services will be held on Saturday, September 24th, at 11 a.m., at Springhill M. B. Church.
Spc. Marquis moved to Tampa in July 2008 and opened a business in downtown Tampa. He had plans for his business, the 502 Sports Café, located in downtown Tampa.
Later that same year, the Strasburg, France native met his future wife and she said it was an instant attraction. The couple married on August 31, 2009 and decided to live in Tampa. And, shortly after that, the couple learned that they were going to be parents. Their son, Christopher, celebrated his 2nd birthday on September 14th.
He joined the U. S. Army in April and left on my birthday, April 14, 2010,” Mrs. Marquis said. He had already served 5 years in the French military and had attained the rank of Sergeant there.
Mrs. Marquis said she last saw her husband in March of this year before he was deployed to Afghanistan. However, she said she did talk to him on their second anniversary. She later learned that he couldn’t hear her, though.
Mrs. Marquis, 22, described her husband as an individual who enjoyed nature, long walks and extreme sports such as bungy jumping and sky diving.
He was the son of Mrs. Francine Soucat and Joel Marquis. Spc. Marquis also had a sister and 3 brothers. His wife had met his mother and sister earlier. They were planning for her and their son to meet his father and brothers in January after he returned from Afghanistan. She met her father-in-law and brothers-in-law after her husband died.
Spc. Marquis will be laid to rest on Monday at the Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, Florida.
Mrs. Marquis and family will receive friends from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Wilson’s Funeral Home, 3000 N. 29th Street, on Friday. Wilson’s Funeral Home is in charge of handling arrangements.
