Marjorie P. Thomas (98) of Bedford, MA, died peacefully at home, in the nursing center of Carleton Willard Village, after a long illness, with loving caregivers by her side. She and the love of her life, Ned, were married for over 75 years, from June 1941 until December of 2016, when Ned died. They had moved to Carleton Willard in 1999, from the Philadelphia area where they had lived for nearly 50 years. Marjorie and Ned are both deeply missed by family, friends, and caregivers.

Marjorie was born and raised in Boston. She was born on November 15, 1918, just after Armistice Day, after the end of World War I. She graduated from the Winsor School ('38) and was a loyal alumna, often extolling the virtues of the gifted teaching she experienced at Winsor. She attended Radcliffe College ('42) until June 1941 when she left to marry Ned, a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy, after promising her mother she would complete her degree. She kept her word. She graduated, when she was 60, two years before her mother died.

Marjorie was a passionate, loving, and devoted wife, mother, sister, aunt, grandma, great-grandma, cousin, friend, and a comfort and counselor to many both within and outside of the family. She was deeply involved with her family - all generations - and with her larger community.

In Philadelphia, beginning in the early 1950's, Marjorie worked as a tutor in local schools in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. She was a strong advocate for her students. She loved them and she loved the work itself; she was a teacher and a guide, inspiring confidence in many who had become discouraged about their abilities. She also taught Sunday school at the Church of the Advocate in Philadelphia, which she and Ned joined in the early 1970's. She was an active supporter of the Civil Rights Movement and the Nuclear Freeze Movement.

Marjorie is survived by her sister Elizabeth van Buren of Cambridge, her son Morton of Boston, daughter Elizabeth and son-in-law William McMullen of Cambridge, and her daughter-in-law Anne Thomas of Salem. She is also survived by six adoring grandchildren: Quentin McMullen and his wife Amanda, Jonathan McMullen, Kamil McMullen, Jesse Thomas and his wife Yelena, Kari Thomas, Theodore Thomas, four great-grandchildren, and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. Two sons, Edward and Christopher, and her sister, Carol Greif, predeceased her.

The family would like to extend its heartfelt gratitude for the loving care and support provided by Laura Filep, Marjorie's companion and aide for the last 6 years, by the nurses and aides and many staff of Carleton Willard Village for almost 20 years, especially in recent years when Marjorie and Ned moved to assisted living and then to the nursing center, and by the staff of Care Dimensions who provided hospice care with concert with CWV staff.

A funeral service will be held on Saturday, August 12th at 2pm at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 100 Pine Hill Road, Bedford MA. Following the service there will be a reception in the Parish Hall and all are welcome. A private burial will be held in Windsor, Vermont at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 100 Pine Hill Road, Bedford, MA 01730, the Church of the Advocate, 1801 W. Diamond Street, Philadelphia, PA 19121, or the Carleton Willard Employee Appreciation Fund, 100 Old Billerica Road, Bedford, MA   01730.