Marsha and Ian just a couple days before her surgery celebrating her 55th birthday at my Mom & John's house in Aurora, IL.
Marsha was an AMAZING artist....this is one of her handmade cards from her "Mazels from the Heart" Collection
This picture was taken in 2000 when Marsha and Ian came to see my first pageant with my Mom (my Grandma Stern & Dad are pictured with us here).
This blog post is to celebrate the life of our dear friend, our dear family member, my Mom’s best friend of almost 30 years, Marsha. Marsha, Ian, her loving husband, and her five kids were all like family to us and we have always cared about them deeply. Please continue to keep them in your prayers at this time.
Marsha was born on January 15, 1954 in Skokie, IL. She attended ISU and majored in Art. She and Ian raised five beautiful children in Decatur, IL and had four grandchildren. Her life was centered around her family and her art.
If you count life by the number of years lived, Marsha died far too young. However, if you count life by the number of lives you enriched and touched, Marsha died a very very old woman. My entire immediate family traveled to Decatur, IL this past week to attend Marsha’s funeral…to celebrate her life and to mourn the fact that she will not be with us here any longer. It was a very hard day. There was standing room only for her funeral, every pew, every seat was filled--she touched so many lives. Marsha always gave 100% of herself to everyone…always. And, “she always had time for you”. I heard that over and over again from others (including my Mom)…and it was a truth that I was able to experience personally as well. I used to walk to her house after high school just to visit with her and her door was always open. She was fearless, courageous, determined yet utterly serene, at peace, and so filled with joy. I remember, as a child and young adult, how much I simply enjoyed being around her. Marsha’s pastor, from Grace United Methodist, joked that he learned quickly that Marsha could care less about your personal space. Yep, she was always hugging you and getting close. It was so genuine and loving though, even those that were most protective of their ‘space’ couldn’t help to smile and appreciate the love that she was giving.
I rode back to Chicago after the funeral with my sister, Valerie, and what Val said really ‘summed it up’ about Marsha for me. Valerie said, “Marsha just ‘got it’….she understood what mattered in life and what didn’t and knew herself so well.” I couldn’t agree more. I remember that I went to a women’s retreat some years ago and Nancy Ortberg, one of the pastors/speakers, said something like…’When you are in your twenties you start to notice that there are two kinds of women who are in their middle-ages…women who are like chameleons, who are always changing in different scenarios, striving , pressuring themselves and others, and who seemingly have no idea who they are --it is unsettling. And then, you see women like Marsha, who know themselves so well and are so comfortable in their own skin that they radiate true beauty and love that is contagious. Marsha, although deeply principled, had nothing to prove to anyone, never showed off, she knew what mattered in life and what didn’t and was never afraid to ‘be herself’. And, Marsha has always been and will forever be an example to me of these things.
And, of the many reasons I loved Marsha, one of them was that she was a wonderful friend to my Mom until the day she died….truly. The weekend before Marsha went into surgery, she and her husband Ian visited my Mom and Stepdad, John, at their home in Aurora, IL. It was a gift they had this time with her and Ian right before her passing. They went to see a Broadway play in Downtown Chicago, celebrated Marsha’s birthday with cake and all, watched movies, caught up, shared laughs…she was very happy. Again, it was a gift. My Mom said in an email to us that after all these years, “we were still learning from each other.” My Mom will miss her dear friend immensely. We will all miss her, but we believe ….
“To be absent from this body is to be present with the Lord. And, from what I know of Him, that must be very good.” –Sara Groves
Kate
