Obituary of Mary Marble Medearis

Mary Ellen (Molly) Marble Medearis died in Chapel Hill, North Carolina on Saturday, February 4, 2017, at the age of 83. She was a devoted family member, a civic-minded volunteer, a student of history and of cities, and a lover of music and the outdoors. As a girl, she loved playing soccer and canoeing. She shared her love of canoeing with her husband, Don, who had also learned as a youngster. When the two of them piloted a canoe or kayak, they did so with perfect timing and coordination. Molly loved music all of her life. She played the piano beautifully and enjoyed attending symphony concerts with her husband throughout their life together. She volunteered for the League of Women Voters in Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Cleveland. She had a keen intellect and went back to school many years after finishing college, receiving a Master's Degree in Urban Planning from Boston University, then studying history at Boston College, taking a special interest in cooperatives organized by urban women in the nineteenth century. She was an active member of the Winthrop, Massachusetts Historical Commission in the 1990s. In later life, she fondly remembered her 1980 and 1990s trips with her husband to western Europe and Russia. Over the years she cultivated in her family a passion for politics and public service, love of music and Maine, and an affection for pets. She told stories about her childhood pets, and as an adult, cared for three dogs and three cats. In later life, she was especially fond of her bright and vivacious dog, Nutmeg. She was born July 31, 1933 in Cincinnati, Ohio, to Mary (Cook) and Harry E. Marble. She attended the Lotspeich and Hillsdale Schools in Cincinnati, spent summers in Maine at Camp Runoia and in South Bristol. She graduated from Vassar College in 1955. On August 22, 1956 she married Donald Norman Medearis, Jr., MD. They had four children: Donald, Ellen, John and Jennifer. She is survived by her cousin, Rosamond C. Becker, her children, Donald H. Medearis, Ellen S. Medearis, John N. Medearis, and Jennifer Medearis Costello, son-in-law, Richard Superfine, daughter-in-law, Jessica Goodheart, son-in-law, Daniel J. Costello, and grandchildren, Mary (Molly) M. Superfine, Clara M. Superfine, Max G. Medearis, and Jack G. Costello. Walker's Funeral Home of Chapel Hill is honored to serve the Medearis family. Online condolences may be offered at www.walkersfuneralservice.com.