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FISH, Marjorie Grace (Baker) 1921-2003

FISH, BAKER, THOMPSON, MAST, PRIEST, LANE

Posted By: S. Bell
Date: 1/2/2013 at 12:50:43

[Waterloo Courier, Sunday, November 30, 2003]

Marjorie Grace Baker Fish died quietly in Minneapolis, Minn., on Nov. 24, 2003, at about 12:15 a.m. after a brief battle with cancer. She had been en route to Seattle with her son David to visit her daughter Diane. Her body has been donated to the University of Iowa College of Medicine. A memorial service is planned at the First United Methodist Church in Cedar Falls, Iowa, on Tuesday, Dec. 2, at 10:30 a.m.

Marjorie Grace Baker was born on May 10, 1921, in Greene, Iowa, fourth and youngest child of Grace Terrill Baker and the Rev. Dr. Earle A. Baker.

On Jan. 17, 1943, she was united in marriage to David Charles Fish, whom she had met during college. David had preceded her in death in 1983.

She was a graduate of Cedar Falls High School, had a bachelor's degree from Cornell College, Mt. Vernon, Iowa, graduating Phi Beta Kappa, and Master's and Specialist's degrees in Education from the University of Northern Iowa. She began her professional life as an English teacher. While her husband was a Master's student at Northwestern University in Elgin, Ill., she sold children's clothing from her home and took in ironing. After moving back to Cedar Falls she began selling silverware and china for Empire Craft Corporation as time permitted, gradually recruiting an extensive cadre of young housewives and becoming so successful her husband was convinced to join her in the business. In the early sixties Marjorie went back to teaching in the Waterloo Community Schools, and while working full time and caring for her family, she continued her education and earned her degrees from UNI. She finished a long career in 1985 as a guidance counselor at West Waterloo High School.

Throughout her life she was an avid reader who read all the popular fiction, enjoyed crossword puzzles, was an expert Scrabble player, and also enjoyed trying to teach her children proper English, almost to her last day, and much to their constant dismay. She enjoyed music, supporting the Waterloo Symphony through her attendance, and as a young woman was an excellent violin player, whose instrument had been made by her Uncle Joe Konvalinka from Mason City, who was also a gun maker. She was taught golf by both her husband and father and became so proficient as to win the Cedar Falls city championship at least once. She made a hole-in-one once, and continued to play the game even into the last year of her life, this past summer. Her last game was a best ball match with her sons and grandson, and they played even par for 18 with Marj making several critical par putts. In the mid sixties Marj and her husband helped build Beaver Hills Country Club as founding members. She also enjoyed playing bridge with her friends.

Marj was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; a brother, the Rev. Dr. Richard T. Baker; and a sister, Ruth B. Thompson.

She is survived by a sister, Beth B. Mast, of Bozeman, Mont. (recently of Davenport, Iowa); a daughter, Diane Priest of Seattle, Wash.; daughter and son-in-law, Marjo and John Lane of Alma, Colo.; son, David of Cedar Falls, Iowa; son and daughter-in-law, Donald and Janelle of Davenport, Iowa; four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren, notably Veronica Grace Steffener of Mediapolis, Iowa, who was born one-half hour after Marjorie passed away; and numerous nieces and nephews, and grandnieces and grandnephews widely dispersed. She will be greatly missed by all.


 

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