Robert H. Markley

Robert “Bob” Markley was born in Fort Morgan in 1926. When he was 10 years old, Bob’s family moved to
Fort Collins.

Upon graduation from high school, he joined the Coast Guard and spent two years on the eastern seaboard. In 1946, he enrolled in Colorado A&M (CSU) and received a bachelor’s degree in Business Economics. After that, he was awarded a commission as second lieutenant in field artillery and honorably discharged in 1955.

While attending college, Bob worked for his father — who was his mentor and best friend — at Markley Motor Sales where, among a wide variety of tasks, he drove trucks from Detroit to Fort Collins.

Bob became a junior partner in the business, learning all aspects of automotive sales and service. Later, he became business partners with his brother Gene. Together, they sold Chrysler Plymouth Dodge products. In 1968, when he had an opportunity to purchase a Volkswagen dealership in Greeley, Bob sold his share of the Fort Collins business to his brother and moved his family to Greeley.

In Greeley, he expanded the original Volkswagen business and added more franchises, which included Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Saab, Mazda and Isuzu. His sons David and Danny joined him in the business after they graduated from college. David has an automotive bachelor’s degree.

Bob feels strongly about contributing to the community and did this by serving two terms as Greeley mayor. He was a board member of the Poudre Valley National Bank, Longs Peak Boy Scout Council, United Bank of Greeley, the Salvation Army, and CADA. Bob served as the president of the boards of the Lion’s Club, United Way, and Greeley Auto Dealers Association. He was also founder and president of the Fort Collins Country Club.

Bob was awarded the Quality Dealer Award from the Chrysler and Dodge corporations and was Colorado’s nominee for the 1990 TIME Quality Dealer of the Year award.

Bob has been blessed with six children through two marriages, and has packed a lot of living into his 94 years. He is so proud to have been associated with such outstanding dealers in Colorado for more than 45 years.