Marcia Borne Miranda

Marcia Borne Miranda passed away on Thursday, May 14, 2020 at the age of 99. Born July 20, 1920, Mrs. Miranda was a lifelong resident of New Orleans although she lived in Harahan for several years in her youth. She is the widow of the late Owen J. Miranda, daughter of the late Edwin J. Borne, Sr. and Corrinne Thibodaux Borne. Marcia is preceded in death by her son Terrence Miranda and daughter Marcia “Sissy” Sketchler (Byron). Survivors include her children, Mark (Liz), Melanie, Kevin and Dennis (Cynthia) Miranda; six grandchildren, Mark Miranda, Katie Roman, Owen Sketchler, Abbie Fiorella, Marci Sketchler and Jake Miranda. She was the proud great-grandmother of Conner Roman, Oliver Sketchler and Austin Fiorella. She is the sister of Rosemary Borne Elfer and the late Edwin J. Borne Jr. and Claiborne Borne; sister-in-law of the late Virginia Miranda. Mary Latuso was like a daughter and Shirley Hicks was a close friend throughout her life. In 1938, she was chosen “Miss Kenner” at a beauty contest at the age of 18. In 1942, she was in the very first group of women sworn in the enlisted ranks of the Women’s Army Axillary Corps (WAAC), later the WAC, in U.S. history. She served as Corporal, Sergeant and finished as First Lieutenant during WWII. At age 22, Marcia became one of the first 150 women inducted in the Armed Forces. After her husband Owen died in 1960, Marcia was given the blessed task of raising her 6 children, ranging in age from 4 to 13. During the 1960’s she was on the Board of the St. Anthony of Padua Mother’s Club as well as President of the De La Salle Mother’s Club. Each year the Council of Catholic School Cooperative Club awards their highest honor to the “Mother of the Year”. It is called the Archdiocese Regina Matrum award and honors a mother’s dedication to family, church and community. Marcia was the 1967 recipient of this award. She was extremely proud of this recognition. Marcia was employed at the United States Department of Agriculture Lab, retiring in 1982. She continually fought for racial equality and joined several organizations whose goal was to break the segregation tradition whenever possible. In 1969, she became a proud member of the African American St. Francis De Sales Catholic Church’s “Golden Voices Choir” and the R. Lee James Chorale group performing at the Jazz Fest for nearly 25 years and touring Europe spreading their joy in gospel. In the 80’s, Marcia delivered meals to HIV-AID’s patients for 6 years, never missing a Tuesday. She covered the Kenner area of Jefferson Parish. In 1984 she was asked to ride in the Zulu parade which was an awesome experience for her. 2005 Marcia spent Hurricane Katrina at Memorial Medical Center (Baptist) where she volunteered and was found comforting patients during extreme conditions. On one of the darkest, cruelest nights in New Orleans history, she was retrieving food and water for the sick and holding the hands of the elderly. Marcia is always the heart and soul of the family. She would cook lunch every Sunday for her “family” for decades. She would say “Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we’re here we might as well have a beer and dance”. She taught us that you can’t do anything about the length of your life, but you can certainly do something about its width and depth. A private funeral service and burial will be held due to COVID-19 restrictions. In lieu of flowers or Masses, please have dinner with your family and tell them how much they are appreciated and loved. The Miranda family would like to expressly thank the staff of The Suites at Algiers Point for their compassion and care. A Memorial Celebration of her life will be held at a later date. The online guestbook is available at www.leitzeaganfuneralhome.com.