Mrs. Marion McDonough, of Chincoteague Island, passed away quietly in her sleep on Dec. 28, 2023. Born in Philadelphia to Charles F. Schade and Ruth, his wife, she and her sisters grew up during the Great Depression, so she learned to appreciate all the little things in life.
As a child, she showed an appreciation for music while learning to play piano at Settlement Music School and would lull her children to sleep nightly as she filled her home with music.
In her youth she studied Commercial Art at Murrell Dobbins Vocational High School, but she was always a very artistic woman who sketched, painted, used pastels, did etchings, enjoyed carving tooled and dyed leather, and more. Her artwork was available at many locations up and down the Eastern Shore, and she always eagerly looked forward to participating in the annual Plein Air Art Show on the island.
She taught herself how to play the guitar and learned to play bridge and mahjong, amongst other things. For many years, she belonged to the American Legion Ladies Auxiliary post 159, where she also volunteered as chaplain for some time. Until her death, she was a member of the Red Hats and the Chincoteague Island Decoy Carvers and enjoyed spending time with her friends at the Manna Café on the island.
For many years, she worked as a full-time occupational therapist at the Blessed John Neumann Nursing Home in Philadelphia, where she also organized and operated a gift shop in her spare time. Somehow, she even managed to play the organ for mass in their chapel on Sundays and holidays. The saying goes, “if you need something done, ask a busy person because they know how to delegate their time,” and such was the way with her life. She was always busy but somehow was never too busy for what needed to be done.
Other than her parents, Marion was predeceased by her beloved husband, Philadelphia Police Department Chief-Inspector William C. McDonough Jr.; her son, William Patrick McDonough; her great-grandson, Edmond Nathaniel “Nate” DiFulvio; brother-in-law, Miles Swartz; her sister, Charlene Erb; brother-in-law, Chris Erb; and nephew, Douglas Herb.
She is survived by her sisters, Nancy Rosenberger and her husband, Raymond, and Margaret Swartz and her daughter, Laura McDonough; her son, Glenn McDonough; her granddaughter, Anita Howard LeMay and her husband, Max, of Clinton, Wash.; her granddaughter, Lisa DiFulvio and her spouse, Brittany Hardstock; her great-grandsons, Ethan and Xander DiFulvio, of Bloxom; two fixed feral cats, three Moscovy ducks, many generations of Canada geese, pigeons, and purple martins that she loved, housed, and fed for years that shall surely miss her.
A private celebration of life will be held at a future date. Donations can be made to a charity of your choice in her name if you so choose.
Condolences may be made online at www.salyerfh.com
Services were entrusted to Salyer Funeral Home , Inc.
