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Frederick Marles, 79, banker, civic leader

Frederick Arthur Marles, 79, of Perkasie, a retired bank president and civic leader, died of multiple myeloma Tuesday at Grand View Hospital in West Rockhill Township.

Frederick Arthur Marles, 79, of Perkasie, a retired bank president and civic leader, died of multiple myeloma Tuesday at Grand View Hospital in West Rockhill Township.

Mr. Marles captained the football team at Sell-Perk High School and played football at Muhlenberg College, where he earned a bachelor's degree. As a young man he played for the local Greenjackets Football Club and played baseball with the Sell-Perk Redbirds.

While in college he played saxophone in a local band and developed a lifelong love of jazz.

In 1951 he married his high school sweetheart, Shirley Allebach. During the Korean War he served in the Army in the States.

After his discharge, Mr. Marles joined the First Federal Savings & Loan Association as a controller and eventually became president of its successor, First Family Savings & Loan. He retired in the 1980s when First Family merged with the Commonwealth Federal Savings & Loan Association of Philadelphia.

Mr. Marles was a past president of the Montgomery County Savings and Loan League. He was active with several other banking associations and served on the industry's national legislative committee.

He was a past treasurer of the North Penn Chamber of Commerce, the North Penn United Way, the Pennsylvania United Way, and the North Penn Water Authority. He was a past president of the Lansdale Kiwanis Club and served on the boards of the Lutheran Community at Telford, Paul's Run Retirement Home in Philadelphia, the Lutheran Historical Society, and the Perkasie Historical Society.

At St. Andrew's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Perkasie, Mr. Marles sang in the choir, taught Sunday school, and was a youth mentor. He was a member of the building committee when a new church was built in 1957 and when it was recently expanded.

His community service required him to attend many meetings where he expressed strong opinions, was a good negotiator, and liked making decisions, his son Blaine said.

Mr. Marles enjoyed woodworking, vegetable gardening, and political debate. He played basketball and tennis until last fall, his son said, and looked forward to his family's annual vacation in Wildwood Crest.

In addition to his wife and son, Mr. Marles is survived by sons Blake and Mark, six grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren.

The funeral will begin at 11 a.m. today at St. Andrew's Evangelical Lutheran Church, Dill Avenue and Chestnut Street, Perkasie, Pa. 18944. Friends may call after 9 a.m. Burial will be in St. Andrew's Union Cemetery.

Memorial donations may be made to the church building and renovation fund.