Ellsworth
Mary Elizabeth Marshall, 89, died August 15, 2012, at Courtland Rehab in Ellsworth, ME. She was born November 10, 1922, in Golconda, Illinois, the daughter of Monroe Morse Marquardt and Mable Vera (Bose) Marquardt.
Mary, the youngest of four children, attended the Methodist church and grew up in Golconda, where her father was Veterinarian and Justice of the Peace. Throughout her life, Mary’s creative energy was evident in everything she did—her flare for fashion, her role as a homeroom mother, and in her watercolor and oil paintings. She studied drawing and painting at a number of institutions, including Southern Methodist University and the University of Maine at Machias. Mary was an avid roller-skater and an accomplished golfer, trumpet player, and dancer. She played on her college golf team and could jitterbug on roller skates.
In 1942, Mary moved to Washington, DC, where she worked as a civil servant at the White House. One of her responsibilities included opening Mrs. Roosevelt’s mail. Mary enlisted in the Waves in 1944 and worked as a telegrapher during WWII. In 1946, she married Jack E. Marshall, who was in the Air Force. The couple had three children while they crisscrossed the United States until Jack was stationed at Torrejón Air Base in Spain, where he became the Press Liaison Officer for the Joint U.S. Military Group, and their fourth child was born. In Spain, Mary and her family embraced Spanish culture, touring the countryside and living in Madrid for four years. They moved back to the United States after Jack retired from the service. He became the assistant to the Chief of Aviation Public Services at the Port of Authority of NYC, and the family settled in Haworth, NJ, where they lived for ten years. In 1973, Jack and Mary moved to Ellsworth, ME, where they built and opened Patten Pond KOA Campground. Mary eventually became the on-site manager for housing projects in Ellsworth, and then in Machias. After her retirement, Mary lived with daughter Sharon and her family until moving to Courtland Rehab in 2006. Mary had a wonderful sense of humor and engaging laugh that brought joy to her family, friends, and the many care givers who made her later years special.
Mary was the great-great granddaughter of Mrs. Susan Gullett, the granddaughter of Edward Trovillion, one of the early settlers of Wilson County, Tennessee. Mrs. Gullet was a well-know medium and the owner of the Golconda Gullett Madstone, which was used to cure rattlesnake bites throughout the Mid-West. Mary inherited the Gullett gift, often telling fortunes by reading cards and tea leaves at family gatherings.
Mary is survived by her daughters, Karin M. Wilkes of Ellsworth, ME, and Sharon L. Perry of Cherryfield, ME; sons, Geoffrey T. Marshall of Pittsboro, NC, and Robert E. Lee Marshall of St. Augustine, FL.; grandchildren, Erin Wilkes, Katherine Wilkes, Danielle Perry Reyes, Lisbeth Perry, Wesley Marshall, Diana Marshall, and Caroline Mathis; and great-grandchildren Elle Marshall, Luke Marshall, Carole Perry Reyes, and Reuben Perry. She was predeceased by her brothers, Donald and George Marquardt; sister, Vera Renfro, and former husband, Jack E. Marshall.
Graveside Services will be held at 11:00 A.M. on Saturday September 15, 2012 at I.O.O.F. Cemetery, Golconda, IL.
Mary and her mother were breast cancer survivors, and those who desire may make contributions in Mary’s memory to the Mary Dow Cancer Center, 50 Union Street, Ellsworth, ME 04605.
Arrangements by Jordan-Fernald, 113 Franklin Street, Ellsworth, ME. Condolences may be expressed at www.jordanfernald.com