Marion P. McPheeters

Marion P. Moulton McPheeters, 98  passed away on Saturday March 4 at 3:30 AM in Ithaca.  She died of congestive heart failure due to coronary artery disease.  She is survived by her four children Wesley, Martha, Nina (Jordan), and Barton as well as 5 grandchildren and  2 great grandchildren.

Marion was born and raised in Syracuse, NY.  She graduated from Cornell University in the class of 1946 with a B.S. in Home Economics.  She  was a dietician and fondly recalled her internship and residencies at Boston’s Massachusetts General Hospital and Johns Hopkins Uuniversity before becoming a registered dietitian (R.D.). 

Marion met her husband Donald Wesly McPheeters at a dance at Cornel University. Don had been sent to Cornell  during WWII by the Navy to be trained as in Diesel Engineering school.  She often spoke about walking around Beebe Lake hand in hand during their days at Cornell. Following his deployment in Asia, they were married on October 18,1947 and remained together for 64 years until Don’s passing in 2011.

At a  stay-at-home Mom, she was  involved in many organizations in the Binghamton area.  These included volunteer work with the Chenango Valley PTA, , the Indian Hills Girl Scout Council, the Buddy Camp association, the American Heart Association, and the Hillcrest Community Association where she was recognized as Woman of the Year in 1974. She took up running which kept her heart strong. Marion and Don also squared danced for decades starting in the 1960s.

Once the kids had mostly left home, Marion returned to work as a self-employed dietitian in Binghamton NY, taking on consultations referred by different doctors and from the public health clinics.  She worked with Head Start, promoting good eating habits among very young children.  Her signature was her presentation of Nutritious Easter Baskets, which landed her an article in the local paper. 

Following Dons retirement from Singer Link Division, they moved to Kendal at Ithaca  - a Continuing Care Retirement Community.  While there, they continued their annual vacation trips with the family to Fourth Lake in the Adirondacks and attended many Elderhostels’s.  Mom created and ran the Kendal Lyceum program, a series of invited speakers on a wide variety of topics.  Mom also loved playing bridge with fellow residents for many years.  She lived at Kendal for 26 very happy years spending only the last 4 months in nursing care.

Her children felt they had the best parents ever. Marion will be missed by the many lives she touched in her 98 years. 

Her body was donated to the SUNY upstate medical Center in Syracuse NY. There will be no funeral or memorial Service.  In Lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Unitarian Universalist Association at Giving.UUA.org, the American Heart Association at Heart.org , the Kendal Staff Appreciation Fund at 2230 Triphammer Road, Ithaca, NY, 14850.

Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Bangs Funeral Home, Ithaca, NY. Online condolences may be made to Marion’s family at www.bangsfuneralhome.com.

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