Marie R. Robertson

Beloved wife of the late Charles for 63 years who predeceased her in 2008. Loving mother of son Charles Jr., daughter in law Janice and daughter Deborah. Cherished grandmother of Scott, Paul, Matthew and Andrew and great grandmother of Elizabeth, Jonathan, Haylee and Caleb. Marie was born Marie Matilda Rita Zorn on January 17th, 1918 in Brooklyn, New York, on one of the coldest days in January by a midwife, in a house with no heat. To her parents she was Mariechen or Little Marie, while her eight siblings called her Marie. In the Army during World War II, she was respectfully called Lieutenant Zorn. Her husband called her Marie or Tilly, her children and daughter-in-law knew her as Mom, and Robbie was the name her hospital co-workers affectionately called her. Her first set of grandsons and their wives called her Grandma, her second set of grandsons called her Nee, and her great-grandchildren proudly called her Big Grandma. Whatever name she may have gone by, to everyone in her family she was a symbol of strength and inspiration. On September 13th, 1936, Marie began her nursing studies at Wyckoff Heights School of Nursing and graduated three years later at the top of her class. An adventurous young woman, Marie accepted the offer from her friend Lillian to go work in a Chicago hospital after nursing school, which was the beginning of an adventure she would never forget.

The bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941 moved Marie to enlist in the Army on September 1st, 1942. She was a member of The Greatest Generation' as she began her service as an Army Nurse and had her choice of serving in Alaska or India, she chose India as she hated the cold. After training in Atlantic City, New Jersey she flew to California and left by ship for Ramgarh, India. Marie was assigned to operating room duty for general surgical cases, and later on transferred to Labmanirhat, India as Charge Nurse in the operating room there. Her experiences in India and traveling around the world are forever etched in her mind and heart.

Marie proudly served her country until April 10th, 1945 and upon her return to the United States she married her childhood sweetheart Charles on November 1, 1945. The newlyweds set up their first house right around the corner from her sister Evelyn in Valley Stream. In 1946, their son Charles, Jr. was born. Eight years later on February 11th, 1954 Marie and Charlie had a Cape Cod style house built in East Meadow. The birth of their daughter Deborah followed seven months later. Marie remained in that house until her passing. While most moms of the fifties stayed home and were housewives, Marie sought employment in 1959 as a staff nurse at the then Meadowbrook Hospital in East Meadow in the Labor and Delivery Room, in which she became a well-respected Charge Nurse. Many babies were born and operating room tables were scrubbed under her watchful eye. Eighteen years later on September 13, 1982, exactly 46 years to the day she entered nursing school, Marie retired from what was then called Nassau County Medical Center, and stayed on as a volunteer until she was 80 years old.

Marie was a woman of many talents to name a few that included sewing, knitting, quilting, gardening, photography, cooking, baking, and Grafting. She was also an artist, avid reader, and crossword puzzle doer. Nursing school, military service, marriage, children, professional career, grandchildren, retirement and great-grandchildren ... Marie had lived a very full and exciting life and had seen and experienced more in her 104 years than any of us could have ever seen or experienced in three lifetimes. She had been busy for many years, and now it is time for a well-deserved rest. Marie was much loved by family and friends and will be dearly missed.

In lieu of flowers donations can be made in Marie’s memory to a Veterans organization or to the Guide Dog Foundation.