Marisa Louise Wilson

Marisa Louise Wilson, age 66, of Nottingham, Maryland passed away on Friday, January 5, 2024. Marisa was born in Baltimore, Maryland on September 1st, 1957, the daughter of Richard Carl Schuhart and Patricia Parr Schuhart. She was predeceased by her father Richard Carl Schuhart, her sister Gabrielle Therese Schuhart and her grandmother Louise Ellis Parr. Marisa is survived by her mother Patricia Parr Schuhart, her daughter Nasrene Mary Mirjafary and granddaughter Sadira Gabrielle Mirjafary; by her former spouse Mansour Mirjafary and their daughter’s sisters Neda Mirjafary and Tessa Mirjafary, with whom she shared a close relationship; by her first cousins Deborra Cunzeman, Connie Fiorani and Ben Schuhart, and numerous friends, family, colleagues and loved ones.

Marisa was a 1971 graduate of St. Francis of Assisi School, a 1975 graduate of the Institute of Notre Dame, a 1980 graduate of the College of Notre Dame of Maryland, earned her Masters degree from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, her RN from Union Memorial School of Nursing, and her Doctorate of Nursing Science from the Johns Hopkins University. As evident by her lengthy academic career, Marisa greatly valued higher education, eventually becoming a respected nurse educator and champion of nursing informatics.

Marisa began her career in public health as a statistician and epidemiologist before becoming a nurse and finding her passion in nursing education and informatics. As a researcher, Marisa contributed to numerous scholarly articles and made immeasurable contributions to healthcare information technology. Marisa provided bedside nursing care for 17 years at Johns Hopkins before finding her home in nursing education. Marisa taught at the University of Maryland School of Nursing, the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, and the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing, most recently serving as UAB’s Director of Nursing Health Services Leadership Graduate Pathways. She provided mentorship to countless students throughout her career, many of whom eventually became her colleagues and friends. She has spoken internationally in all of her areas of expertise and is respected as an expert in her field of study.

When Marisa was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma in June 2021, she approached this challenge as only a health researcher would…by learning everything published and in trials regarding her cancer and becoming a student of her disease. Her short term goal was to live as long as possible beyond her initial 4-6 month prognosis. Her long term goal became to provide information and networking opportunities for current and future cholangiocarcinoma patients and their families in order to create better health outcomes.

Beyond her career aspirations, Marisa loved to travel. She was happiest when she was swimming or relaxing at the beach. She loved to travel with friends, with some of her favorite adventures being with Sara in the Outer Banks, Ginger in Florida, and Paula in England. She always enjoyed getting together with friends and colleagues for dinner and conversation, but as a Baltimore girl, her favorite gathering was a crab feast. She loved spending time with her daughter, granddaughter and their friends, loved a good musical or a concert, but was most proud watching her granddaughter, Sadie, perform on stage. Her presence in the audience will be greatly missed.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the cholangiocarcinoma foundation: https://cholangiocarcinoma.org

A receiving of friends will be held at Schimunek Funeral Home Inc., 9705 Belair Rd. Nottingham, MD 21236, on Wednesday, January 10, 2024 from 3-5 and 7-9 PM. A funeral mass will be celebrated at St. Casimir Church, 2800 O’Donnell St. Baltimore, MD 21224 on Saturday, January 27, 2024 at 12:00 PM (Noon) with a celebration of life and luncheon immediately following at Jimmy’s Famous Seafood, 6526 Holabird Ave. Baltimore, MD 21224. All are welcome to attend. Those planning on attending the luncheon are encouraged to RSVP at the link below so we can provide the venue with an accurate headcount.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSct8nuh2q2c5x_3JAOT5ypuhCCQIcU-BKlR5H9aAcysq3txvA/viewform