- April 19, 2024
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Marjorie Ina Frith Douwes
1930-2019
Marjorie Ina Frith Douwes, age 88, of Palm Coast, Florida, formerly of Brookfield, CT, passed away on March 18, 2019 after a short illness. Her cheerful spirit and kindness are missed by all who knew her.
Marjorie was born on December 27, 1930 in Brooklyn, NY, the daughter of George Streeter Frith and Ina Jones Frith of Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos Islands, British West Indies. On Grand Turk the ocean was in her backyard, and she grew up swimming, rowing, and attending church and picnics with family and cousins. She learned nearly every visible star and constellation in the sky. During World War II the women and girls of Grand Turk knitted socks and hats for British soldiers, and she received several commemorative pins for this work. There were also extended stays in New York with her mother’s sister.
Marjorie graduated from St. Andrew’s High School in Kingston, Jamaica with a Cambridge Overseas School Certificate. She moved to Midland Park, NJ and worked for Agencia Marítima Hondureña SA and the United Fruit Company in New York City. In 1953 she met her future husband, Henry Bruce Douwes, and they were married at Christ Chapel in Midland Park. They had 65 wonderful years together.
Her greatest gifts to her children and grandchildren were a curious mind and a love of reading, nature, gardening, and music. She always had a song in her heart.
The family moved to Brookfield, CT in 1961. Marjorie was a den leader for Cub Scouts and a troop leader for Girl Scouts for many years. On snow days she made hot chocolate for the kids in the neighborhood, as the big sledding hill was in the Douwes’s backyard. She was an active member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, living out her faith in service and with kind words for all, through the women’s group, vestry, Sunday School, Friendship Fair gift booth, and Bible study groups. She worked for Kast Payroll and Accounting Service for eight years. Marjorie and Henry moved to Palm Coast, FL in 1988, where she was an active member of St. Thomas’s Episcopal Church.
Marjorie was a skilled knitter who made countless items for family and charity, and she also spent many happy hours untangling a vast and complicated web of family genealogy. She and Henry enjoyed taking the kids on camping adventures from Canada to Florida, tennis, and a few trips back to Grand Turk, Bermuda, and the Cayman Islands, where she had family and friends. Her greatest gifts to her children and grandchildren were a curious mind and a love of reading, nature, gardening, and music. She always had a song in her heart.
She is survived by her husband Henry and three children: Joan (husband Jim) Martin, Christopher, and Peter (wife Dorothy); and two grandchildren, Chris and Elisabeth Martin. She was predeceased by her parents, George and Ina Frith, brother Carl, and sisters Mary and Fannie. In lieu of flowers, please share a hug with a friend or neighbor. A memorial service will be held at a later date.
MEMORIAL SERVICE:
Held at a Later Date
DONATIONS:
In lieu of flowers, please share a hug with a friend or neighbor.
