Marie Stoecker, age 89, passed away peacefully on Sunday, February 16, 2020 at Treasure Coast Hospice in Fort Pierce, Florida. She was born on June 4, 1930 in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Marie grew up in the Riverside, New Jersey area with seven brothers and 2 sisters. She graduated from high school in 1948 and had hoped to be a cosmetologist but instead went to work for Curtis Publishing Company in Philadelphia.
She was married to the love of her life, Ralph Stoecker, for 46 years who she met on a “blind date”. Together they had two children, Mark Stoecker of Melbourne and Kim Stoecker Miller of Fort Pierce who loved and cherished every moment they had to spend with her. She was especially proud of her three grandchildren, Alexandria Stoecker Michaud (Daniel), Jacqueline Stoecker Mallahan (Daniel), and Andrew Miller (Katie). All of them successful with loving spouses and giving her three and a half great-grandchildren; Max (a baseball fanatic like his dad) and Hazel Miller, Hannah Michaud, and soon to be baby girl “Mallahan”. Marie spent the last few days trying to guess the name of her next granddaughter from the clues she was given.
After marrying Ralph on September 15, 1951 they lived outside of Philadelphia until 1959 when they moved to Eau Gallie, Florida to escape the snow. Around 1973 they moved to West Melbourne (a cow pasture at the time) trying to escape what they thought was too much traffic on Sarno Road. Together over the years they traveled to antique car shows where they met and socialized with all the other antique car fanatics. Besides cars, they loved to go camping and visit the Smoky Mountains, especially Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Being the good wife, she developed a love of reading novels while Ralph searched automobile junk yards looking for parts for his cars.
While Marie still was driving, she loved the attention she received while driving her Burgundy 1964 Comet Caliente around Melbourne. She was sad to sell it in 2016 when she decided it was time to stop driving to Publix on busy New Haven Avenue.
In 2017 Marie moved to Fort Pierce, Florida to be closer to her daughter Kim. After searching for the right home she decided on a condominium on South Hutchinson Island with a view of the marina. Here she could sit in her sunroom and watch the yachts glide in and out, the dolphins swim, and the variety of birds that searched for food while reading a book and watching her Hallmark movies (sometimes seeing the same one 4 or 5 times). She loved to watch Jeopardy and surprised us often with how many obscure answers she knew.
After Ralphs’ passing in 1997 Marie spent a lot of her time working in her yard, she loved having flowers bloom. She anxiously awaited each spring when her giant azalea in the front yard would burst with hundreds of pink blooms. She also loved orchids and wished she was better at getting them to bloom. When she was not in her yard, she was perfecting her secret chocolate chip cookie recipe that was everyone’s favorite. Her daughter and granddaughters continue to work on making them as good as she did. Marie was a fabulous cook and her love of cooking inspired her granddaughter Jackie to go to culinary arts school. She also had a good eye for decorating and color that was passed on to Jackie as well.
Surprisingly at her age, Marie was very good at keeping her finances straight and prided herself on keeping her checkbook up to date. She thought this personality trait was passed on to her granddaughter, Alex, and was extremely proud of her when she received her Master’s Degree in Business from Florida State University.
Ralph was never a sports fan but Marie found new life in her grandson, Andrew. She became an avid baseball fan when he was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in 2006 and was a fan of any team he played for. She always made sure she had the MLB baseball channel and knew when his team was going to play. She learned all the names and numbers of his teammates and provided us with her opinion of how good they were (or not). She always thought Andrew was the best one on the team (of course) and loved to tell everyone she met that her grandson was a professional baseball player.
Marie is survived by her son, Mark Stoecker (Vera): her daughter Kim (David); grandson, Andrew (Katie); granddaughters, Alexandria Michaud (Daniel), Jacqueline Mallahan (Daniel); great grandchildren Max, Hazel, and Hannah, number 4 is on the way. She has four surviving siblings, Kathryn Connors, James Kershaw (Helen), Robert Kershaw (Ruth), Francis Kershaw(Alicia) and 23 nieces and nephews.
Marie will be missed for her kindness, cookies, cleanliness (really), and the sense of humor that she maintained until the very end.
A gathering to remember her will be at Fountianhead Funeral Home, 7359 Babcock Street S.E., Palm Bay, FL 32909 (321-727-3977) on Thursday, February 20, 2020 from 11 am to 1 pm. She will be laid to rest next to Ralph at Fountainhead Cemetery in Palm Bay, Florida.
We will always remember Marie’s famous last words to her children and grandchildren “Don’t do anything that I wouldn’t do”, these words will be passed on to her great grandchildren we are sure!
In lieu of flowers the family is requesting that if you feel so moved a donation to Treasure Coast Hospice of St. Lucie County, 5090 Dunn Road, Fort Pierce, FL 34981 would be greatly appreciated.
COMPARTA UN OBITUARIO
v.1.11.0