Marion Horace Ford || Obituary

Marion Horace Ford, known as “Pug” or “Tex” to his friends, was born in Paris, Texas, on March 28, 1935, to parents Morris Ford and Sallie Brown. He attended Paris High School, Paris Junior College, and East Texas State University, where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Sciences.

After college, Tex worked at the Department of Agriculture in Dallas. Then, he joined the inaugural class of Peace Corps volunteers the year it was created by President Kennedy, saying he might as well since everything he owned already fit in one suitcase. After his first two years overseas in the Dominican Republic, he went on to have a remarkable thirty-three-year career as a foreign service officer with USAID (the United States Agency for International Development), where he designed and implemented agricultural and development projects in Bolivia, Peru, Panama, Vietnam, Cameroon, Morocco, Haiti, and Sudan, before retiring in Cochabamba, Bolivia with his wife, Mariela, and their two daughters, Mariana and Melissa.

Tex’s life was a testament to dedication and service, and he is considered a legend by many for his transformative work in economic development and agricultural projects.

He is survived by his wife Mariela, two sons, Morris and Marion, two daughters, Mariana and Melissa, and oldest sister, Ann Ford.

Tex was preceded in death by his parents, his two brothers Jack and Billy, and his two sisters Delma and Myra.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, May 4th at 10:30 a.m. in Fry Gibbs Funeral Home.

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