Jane Aiken Marquis

Jane A. Marquis, 100 years old, passed on July 2, 2020, to be with her Lord and Savior. She was born in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania as the U.S. recovered from the effects of WWI and in the middle of the first great pandemic of the past century. Her Scotts-Irish ancestors immigrated to the colonies around the conclusion of the American War for Independence and lived for many generations in Western Pennsylvania.

Preceding her in death were her husband of 58 years, Jack D. Marquis, her oldest daughter, Susan Mull (surviving grandchildren Karen Reynolds and Scott, Steve and David Mull), and her parents Glendon A. Aiken and Edna R. Aiken.

She is survived by her daughter, Betsy M. Wade, grandsons Brian Wade (wife Beth Thornton Wade) great-grandchildren Will, Charlie and Alice Wade and grandson Peter Wade (wife A.J.) and by her son, Jeff A. Marquis (wife Patti), granddaughter Meg Marquis (husband Andrew) great-granddaughter Sophia Shannon and grandson Josh Marquis (wife Ashley) great- grandchildren Piper, Rosemary, John. Bernadette, Frances and Joseph Marquis. She leaves a total of eight grandchildren and twenty great-grandchildren.

Jane was an only child, but grew up with a large, close-knit, loving extended family. One of her favorite childhood memories was of her maternal grandmother “Gram Rapp” reaching into her hidden change purse (buried under many layers of petticoats) to extract a dime for Jane to put in the church collection plate every Sunday morning.

She attended Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio where she enjoyed sorority life (Gamma Phi Beta) and, by her own admission, “majored in boys more than anything else”. It was during those years that she met Jack, while serving as a “substitute blind date” for a friend of hers. They were married in 1940 and, like so many young couples of the day, endured the hardships and sacrifices imposed by WWII (separation, furloughs, food rationing, blackout curtains and air raid drills …). Through the 1950s and 60s, Jane and Jack lived the “Great American Dream”. Jack, who worked 42 years for Gulf Oil Corporation, was transferred to Atlanta, so the family moved to Georgia in 1962.

Jane was a long-time member of Peachtree Presbyterian Church, where she served as a Sunday School teacher in the “Hope Class” for individuals with special needs. She managed her home well, chauffeured the kids and pursued her personal interests, which included golf, bridge, and volunteer work at their church and at a local hospital. She loved knitting, quilting and counted cross-stitch and created many treasures, the gift of which routinely blessed her church, friends and family. Together, she and Jack traveled extensively, visiting a total of over 35 different foreign countries, including being among the first to visit mainland China when it opened up during the Nixon administration in 1972. Following Jack’s death, daughter Betsy and Jane became regular traveling companions.

While Jane’s lifetime may have been sandwiched between two global pandemics, there was not much that ever slowed her down. She lived life to the fullest, an encouragement and witness to all who knew her.