Michael Marx, z”l, died May 30, 2020, under hospice care in his home in Portland. Michael is survived by his spouse, Donald Marshall; their pet companions, Pepper and Pumpkin; nephew, Steven Mackler of Maryland; cousins, Ilene Harris of California and Norman Goldblatt of New York. He was preceded in death by his parents, Alan and Jeanne Marx; and sister, Renee Mackler.

Marx overcame prejudice for being Jewish and gay, built a successful business career, supported causes that fought discrimination and protected animals, and enjoyed a 32-year relationship with Donald Marshall, who he was finally allowed to marry in 2013.

He was born April 12, 1933 in Newark, N.J., where he was raised by his Aunt Doris.

In the early 1980s, at the beginning of the AIDS epidemic, he worked setting up hospice care in Los Angeles and San Diego. Michael and Don have established LGBT scholarships at the University of California, San Diego; the teachers' college at Columbia University; Pomona College and Hiram College.

Michael and Donald, already a committed couple for 25 years, wed when same-sex marriage became legal in Washington state. They lived in their adopted city of Portland for the last 20 years.

Memorial donations may be made in Michael's name to the Oregon Humane Society, Oregon Public Broadcasting and the Dove Lewis emergency animal hospital.