I was fortunate to be Marian’s colleague for more than ten years, and even after her retirement, she continued to be a warm and funny presence in our English Department, at parties and memorials.  I will always remember her wheeling the giant TV from its second floor closet to her classroom !   The wheels squeaked all the way down the hall.  (We never did replace the trolley!!)    Marian never seemed pushed to the limit.  She knew the difficult ins and outs of running the department, but she stayed calm, kind, and effective as she served as Professor, Assistant Chair, Personnel & Budget member.    It was a privilege to call her colleague.

My condolences to the family and friends of Professor Parish as we so affectionately referred to her,  myself. My aunt and my late grandma and other close family members.  I  remembered she was the kindest and sweetest  person you could’ve met, she was a strong  believer in higher education, so she not only extended her kindness to my aunt and grandma but also to me and a few cousins that attended Nassau Community College, We were never in need of books she said get any books you wanted in the book store at the college.  I can say  I got my degree with her kindness and gratitude.  Thank you

Marian and I joined the full-time English way back in the mid seventies. Before coming to Nassau, Marion, like her mom and sister, taught in public school, so perhaps the profession was in her DNA. Her quick wit, her sense  of humor, and down-to-earth casualness attracted both her students and her colleagues.
   Over the years we shared not only professional duties. but also a warm friendship. On a personal level  I witnessed  her as she dealt with numerous losses: her beloved father-in-law, a beloved aunt, mother, husband, brother, and sister (and at least two departmental faculty members)—all of whom she tended to with compassion and loving care. 
After retirement Marian turned to tending to and bragging about her four grandchildren, extending her care of others into the future. 
    Marion dealt with students, colleagues, personal grief— with life in general— with wisdom and wit, with compassion and love. Knowing her was a gift we shall all cherish .

Bernadine Brown

I started at Nassau in the Writing Center feeling like a guppy in a large fish bowl.  Marian would come into the center frequently, and very pragmatically, she would put me at ease in a nano second by filling me in on 'the ropes' of the college and the center (in her very humorous way).   When I got a classroom line and moved upstairs to  an office on the 2nd floor in Bradley Hall,  I used to love how when Marian would show a film to her students in a classroom, we would talk and laugh the entire time in the hall while the students watched the film.  And, she always made me laugh with her deadpan style of humor.  How  I missed those times when she retired.   Marian was forever a champion of the students and the faculty.   

I have so many wonderful memories of her.   We are so fortunate to have had such a life force touch our lives.  God bless her.

We'll miss her terribly.

So sorry for you loss. 
I was lucky enough to work with Marian at Nassau Community College. Her office was across the hall from mine.  And my early years there overlapped with her last years at the college. She helped me out in large and small ways and I will always remember her warmth and kindness as well as her wit!

I had the privilege of working with Marion in the English Department at NCC—her wit and passion for our work & our students was contagious! My heartfelt condolences for your loss Darcy!!! ❌❌Cristina Migliaccio

Marion was among the members of the English Department who interviewed and hired me, and her mentorship in my early years was invaluable to my growth as an educator.  She had a quick sense of humor, was warm and pragmatic, and her Science Fiction course still runs today.  

On behalf of the English Department at Nassau Community College, we all hold Marion and her family in our hearts during this time of loss as we pray for all who mourn her passing, so that they may find a sense of peace.

 Kim Ballerini, Chairperson and Professor of English, SUNY NCC

The Board of Directors of the Nassau Community College Foundation and our professional staff extend our heartfelt condolences to the family, students, friends and neighbors of Professor Emerita Marian Parish.  Marian faithfully served the students of Nassau for more than forty years and built a legacy of excellence and enlightened inquiry.  Her mastery of science fiction and celebration of the genre engaged students to think outside of the possible and into the future.  We are grateful that her family has established the Professor Marian Parish Memorial Scholarship to support students along their individual pathways to success.

OBITUARY

Marian Parish

12 May, 1942 – 31 January, 2026

O.B. Davis Funeral Homes - Miller Place

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