Collinsville’s Markezich honored by county
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George Markezich, left, and St. Clair County Board Chairman Mark Kern
(Photo by Randy Pierce)
By Randy Pierce
In recognition of his retirement after nearly 40 years of service, George Markezich of Collinsville received a standing ovation round of applause and was presented with a proclamation on Monday evening, March 27, by St. Clair County Board Chairman Mark Kern.
Markezich, a member of the Collinsville Recreation Club and Knights of Columbus Council 1712 of Collinsville, was hired in 1984 to work as a mechanic for St. Clair County then promoted in 2018 to the position of garage procurement/service manager in the vehicle maintenance division.
His responsibilities, according to the proclamation read by Kern before it was presented to Markezich at a meeting of the St. Clair County Board, included overseeing the maintenance and upkeep of 151 vehicles, including equipment used for emergency purposes, which are driven for a cumulative total of 1.3 million miles annually along with purchasing new ones, disposing, by auction, of those that are outdated, handling insurance claims and acquiring gas to run them.
Additionally taken on by Markezich, along with his being a member of the St. Clair County Transit District Board of Directors, are his 37 years of service as a Caseyville Township precinct committeeman and holding the position of chairman of that group for the past 12 years.
His community service also includes 12 years as a volunteer member, attaining the rank of lieutenant, for the fire department in Fairmont City, coordinating local group participation in many parades and, for the past 19 years, hosting, along with his wife, Anne Markezich, the Justin Markezich Memorial Golf Tournament in honor of his son, who passed away in 2004, for the purpose of raising funds to be used to provide graduating high school students with college scholarships. Markezich’s wife is the director of building and zoning for St. Clair County.
In concluding his proclamation, Kern formally recognized Markezich as “everyone’s best friend” and thanked him for his outstanding service to St. Clair County along with wishing him happiness and good health in his retirement years.
