IN MEMORIAM: Marion Dodge, 94;
25-Year Nurse At Morris Central
MORRIS – Marion Ruth Augusta Jacobsen Dodge, 94, nurse/teacher at Morris Central School for 25 years who enjoyed a full role in community life, died Wednesday, July 13, 2016, in the company of her family and her devoted caregivers at Hampshire House in Oneonta.
Marion was born June 4, 1922, in New York City, the eldest child of Bernhardt Jacobsen and Ruth Gregory Jacobsen. She grew up in Morris with her four brothers and two sisters and graduated from Morris Central School in 1939. Marion attended the Crouse-Irving School of Nursing in Syracuse, graduating as a registered nurse in 1944.
By then she had met John Dodge, a native Californian and a chief pharmacist’s mate in the Navy who had been serving in the South Pacific since 1939. They were married on July 1, 1945, in Morris, and then traveled by train to San Francisco where John was assigned to a ship at Mare Island and Marion was employed as a nurse in a bay area hospital until the war’s end.
The Dodges returned to Otsego County and bought a small farm in West Laurens where they raised their two daughters, Eileen and Frances. John worked at the H. W. Naylor Company in Morris and Marion worked as a nurse for doctors in Morris and at Fox Hospital until she became the school nurse/teacher at Morris Central School, a position she held for 25 years, retiring in 1977.
In 1967, they built one of the first houses on Meadow Lane and moved into the Village of Morris. After retirement Marion and John enjoyed many trips with good friends, most of which involved plenty of golf, bridge and good food.
A natural athlete, Marion amassed an impressive collection of golf and bowling trophies and she and John were charter members and frequent players at CeeJay Golf Course.
Marion was very active in the community, serving with John as a member of the Morris Emergency Squad and later as a volunteer Hospice nurse. She was a member of the American Legion Auxiliary and the Butternut Valley Garden Club for over 30 years and a lifetime member of the Zion Episcopal Church choir, altar guild, and the Episcopal Church Women and co-chaired the annual Harvest Supper for 20 years. She loved her weekly games of bridge with her friends.
Marion is survived by her daughters Eileen (Howard) Elliott of Morris and Frances (Ted) Kingsbury of Fayetteville, five beloved grandchildren, Marcy Kingsbury Ph.D., Jason (Jan) Kingsbury Ph.D., Whitney (Sean) Fair Ph.D., John Esq. (Amy Esq.) Elliott, and Nathan Elliott Ph.D., and five treasured great-grandchildren, Claire, Katie, Lyra, Austin and Riley Jane.
Survivors also include sister Alma Pickens and brother Karl (Frances) Jacobsen, as well as brothers-in-law Ken Walling and Ted Larson and sisters-in-law Lois Jacobsen and Marietta Larson, and twenty-one well loved nieces and nephews. She is also survived by her cousins Elaine Jacobsen Sapp and Peter (Pam) Jacobsen.
Marion was predeceased by her grandson-in-law James Goodson Ph.D., brothers Norman, Fred, and Claire Jacobsen and her sister Sandra Walling, as well as sisters-in-law Kate Jacobsen, Louise Jacobsen, and Pat Sutter and brothers-in-law Harry Pickens, Jack Moore and Bob Sutter. A beloved niece, Linda Guiffre, also predeceased her.
The family thanks Marion’s favorite physician, Dr. Paul Tirrell of Bassett Hospital for more than 20 years of insightful care and the corny jokes that she loved.
Marion’s family is also very grateful for the compassionate care provided by the exceptional staff at Hampshire House for the last two and one half years.
At her request Marion had a direct interment at Hillington Cemetery in Morris, with the Rev. Deacon J. Gary Norman officiating. A Requiem Eucharist will be held at a later date when her far-flung family can gather.
Memorial contributions may be made to Zion Episcopal Church, PO Box 156, Morris NY 13808 or Catskill Area Hospice and Palliative Care, 1 Birchwood Dr., Oneonta NY 13820. Arrangements are by the Johnston Funeral Home of Morris.
