Those who knew Steve Marks said he was a jokester, who was full of life and had a kind heart.
HOUSTON — A Northwest Harris County neighborhood is honoring a beloved postal worker who was tragically killed in a crash on Saturday while delivering mail.Â
The crash happened along Antoine Drive when police say a driver believed to be under the influence plowed into the back of his mail carrier.Â
Residents who live in the area say 58-year-old Steve Marks was more than just their mail carrier. He was part of their community.Â
The man accused of killing him, 45-year-old Jose Humberto Romero, remains in jail on a $250,000 bond. Â
Just hours after the crash, neighbors shared their heartbreak.
“He was more than just a mailman,” said HOA president Charlotte Mays. “He was our friend. He was a great guy. He would be truly missed and just irreplaceable.”
Harris County Sheriff’s Office investigators say Romero was fleeing from a minor crash when he lost control of his pickup truck, slamming into Marks’ mail truck and pushing it into a tree.Â
Romero was found to be intoxicated at the scene, according to investigators. He’s due back in court Monday. Records show he was convicted of DWI back in 2023.
“This situation has truly left me speechless,” said Nicole Marks, Steve Marks’ niece. Â
Nicole Marks says his death has been devastating for the family.
“It was such a tragic accident that I think it came as a shock to everybody,” she said.Â
Steve Marks, a Marine veteran, was also a passionate pool player.Â
His pool club posted a photo online remembering him not only as a friend, but also as family.
Nicole Marks says she’s not surprised by the outpouring of support.Â
“I’m not surprised at all,” she said. “I saw some of the testimonials online from the neighborhood, which made me so happy to see that other people shared the love that we had for my uncle.”
Mays says she’s been working with USPS for two years on installing neighborhood box units, centralized mailboxes designed to keep carriers from stopping at each house along this 30-mile-per-hour stretch of road where neighbors say speeding is a constant problem.Â
On Saturday she made a promise to honor Steve.
“We’re definitely going to push harder to get that, get that done in memory of Steve so that the next carrier just doesn’t have to deal with that,” she said.Â
In a statement, USPS said that it is deeply saddened by his loss, sharing Steve had worked for the postal service for 28 years and that counseling is being offered to his coworkers.
He’s a man his family remembers as a jokester, full of life, carefree, with a kind heart.Â
“He will be loved and he will be missed by me and his whole community,” said Nicole Marks.Â
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