Marnie Page: a life to be grateful for

Marnie and Bob Page in 2016 at the opening of Nest Knoxville on Gay Street.

The Episcopal Church of the Ascension was packed on Sunday with friends of Marnie and Bob Page for one of the most touching memorial services I’ve ever attended. Marnie passed away Oct. 12 after a 10-year battle with Alzheimer’s Disease. She was 77.

Just read Marnie’s obituary (here) and you will see what a charmed life she led — and how she made the most of it. The size of the crowd on Sunday is a testament to her ability to make fast friends throughout her time on earth.

She appeared on the Blue Streak numerous times over the years we have known her and Bob. One of our biggest connections has been through the venerable Coffee Club, founded in Knoxville in the 1930s, of which both Bob and my husband, Alan, are members.

The eulogy Sunday was by Marnie and Bob’s daughter, Allison, who described not only remembrances of her mother, but also scenes of touching moments dealing with Marnie’s decade-long experience with Alzheimer’s.

In her mother’s final hours, Allison said she and her father and sister, Margaret, were in her mother’s room at the skilled nursing facility where she lived. As Marnie’s breathing became labored and they knew that her life was ending, Allison said her own feelings were not those of anger or even sadness. But of gratitude. She held her mother’s hand and said to God, “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

Here are some photos of Marnie from the Blue Streak over the past 14 years of its existence.

Marnie, left, with George Ed and Susie Wilson at a Coffee Club annual party at Cherokee Country Club in 2016.

Marnie and Bob, left, with Vicki and Jeff Chapman at a dinner celebrating the release of their friend Kreis Beall’s book in 2020.

Marnie and Megan Stair in 2016 at L’Amour du Vin, the Knoxville Museum of Art’s premier fundraiser.

Marnie and Bob in 2021 at the East Tennessean of the Year dinner honoring Lamar Alexander. It was at Cherokee Country Club and was a fundraiser for the East Tennessee Historical Society.

Marnie with Robyn Askew in 2015 at a birthday party for mutual friend Melinda Meador.

The Pages, left, with Vicki and Jeff Chapman in 2015 at a fun five-course dinner at Holly’s Gourmet’s Market.

From left, Ellen Robinson, Melinda Meador, and Marnie Page in 2012 at The Foundry for the Scuffy City Soiree, a fundraiser for Knox Heritage.

Susan Sgarlat and Marnie in 2010 at a meeting of the Ubiquitous Chicks Book Club at Melinda Meador’s home in Sequoyah Hills. (Boy, the phone cameras back then were terrible!)

It is an understatement to say that Marnie will be missed.

 

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3 Responses to Marnie Page: a life to be grateful for

  1. Melinda Meador, on October 21st, 2024 at 5:14 pm said:

    Bob may have the Coffee Club, but Marnie had the Chicks Book Club. She was a treasured member from our first meeting in February 2008 until illness took her away from us. Marnie was special — smart, spunky, loving, always with a twinkle in her eye, and always filled with joy. She was a very dear friend who has been and will forever be greatly missed.

  2. Sandra Powell Emond, on October 21st, 2024 at 6:05 pm said:

    She was an incredible woman, outstanding individual, and good friend at ASCENSION…..

  3. Cynthia Moxley, on October 21st, 2024 at 8:19 pm said:

    Melinda: Thanks for your insights. You were clearly one of her dear friends. Thanks for sharing her with us!

    Sandra: Good point about Ascension. That was mentioned several times on Sunday.

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