Frank Fidencio Marquez was a familiar face in Coronado.
A 1969 graduate of Coronado High School, Marquez helped his parents manage the family
business, the Crown City Inn & Bistro. He later became a wine wholesaler, buying and
selling fine wines, consulting, lecturing and writing about wine.
More recently, he became a wine steward at the Coronado Von’s and affectionately embraced his nickname of, “The Wine Guy.”
Marquez died earlier this year at the age of 72, from heart complications.
Grew up on family home
He grew up in the family home on Ocean Boulevard in the days before the Coronado Bridge when ferryboats carried you and your vehicle across the bay to San Diego.
Upon graduation from CHS, Marquez attended Southwestern College, San Diego City
College, and then the University of California at San Diego, where he received a degree
in Drama.
Marquez was an avid collector of record albums, Disney memorabilia, and books.
He was a voracious reader and even wrote a novel about the wine business — “Overture: 1961 The Perfect Vintage.”
Several careers
Over the years, he had several careers. After college, he attended film school in Los
Angeles and worked at coordinating several special film events, the largest of which
was the popular 1981 Halloween Fright Festival at the Hyatt Hotel, near the Los
Angeles Airport.
Marquez eventually returned to Coronado and helped his parents manage the family
business.
With school behind him, Frank concentrated on his passion for wine and restaurant
management. He was fortunate to have spent most of his career working in those fields.
He owned and operated the First Street Bistro in Ashland, Oregon, which had a 1940s
movie theme.
Celebration of life later this year
Marquez is survived by his wife, Kristy (San Diego) and his four children, Adriana
(Oregon), Frankie (Orange County), Virginia (Reno), and Christopher (San Clemente).
He is also survived by his sisters, Adriana Marquez (San Diego) and Pilar Straw
(Coronado). He is also survived by his first wife, Suzanne (Oregon).
A celebration of life will be planned later this year. In lieu of flowers, the family
requests donations be made, “In Memory of Frank Marquez Jr,” to the American Heart
Association.
