Marie Clevenger Horlacher

Early in the morning of April 27, Marie Clevenger Horlacher passed away peacefully at Florida Hospital, Tampa, after a heroic month-long battle against post-surgical complications. At her side were her loving husband of sixty years, David Horlacher, and her loving children, David Horlacher, Jr.; Dianne Showers and Carol Rini.

Marie was born on September 6, 1931 to Mary C. and Harvey G. Stitzel in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. She attended public school and Carlisle High School where she was lead clarinetist in the orchestra and marching band. There she met, David, her husband-to- be, who had recently moved to the area. They graduated in the Class of 1949. She later graduated from Harrisburg Commercial College and became Secretary to the Dean of Dickinson College in Carlisle.

On 14 June, 1953, Marie and David were married in Hanover, New Hampshire, upon his graduation from Dartmouth College. While David was overseas with the Marine Corps, Marie cared for her first son, David Jr., in Oceanside, California. Upon his return, she joined him at the Naval Ordinance Test Station in the Mojave Desert. There Marie gave birth to her first daughter, Dianne.

Marie later became secretary to the Dean of the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. During this period she gave birth to her second son, Kevin and her second daughter, Carol. Later, the family moved to Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, where she became Consumer Affairs Coordinator for the Northeast Region at the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. Marie left that post to join her husband in Bangkok, Thailand, where she learned much of their customs and language. After returning to the USA, she joined the Credit Card Department of the Commonwealth National Bank in Harrisburg, PA. Later she joined her husband in New York City and served as an administrative assistant to two large condo and co-op management firms in Manhattan.

Marie always felt her most important roles were those of wife and mother. She provided her family with a happy home and would take the children on adventures to Florida, Cape Cod and cross-country camping trips to California, where her husband was undergoing Marine training. Throughout her life, she was sweetheart, lover, constant companion and best friend to David and with each passing year, their love would grow stronger.

When her children were younger, Marie would take them skiing in Vermont and in 1992, she moved there to be with her husband in the lovely college town of Middlebury. And she joined David for a half-year stay in Hanoi, Viet-Nam, where she also learned much of the customs and language. During these years, she made many other trips abroad, to Thailand, Austria and England, but none were more important to her than her trip to China with her daughter, Dianne, to adopt her eighth grandchild.

In the year 2,000, Marie and her husband bought a home in Schalimar Creek, Lakeland, Florida and there she enjoyed the love and companionship of many good friends. A life well-lived, she is survived by her husband, four children, eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.