Marjorie Mabel Stadele Aamodt

She was predeceased by her beloved parents, her sister Vernett Mrytle Taylor, her brother, Wilbur Lee Stadele and many aunts, uncles and dear friends. She is survived by her husband of 66 years, Norman O. Aamodt of Raleigh, NC; her daughter Susan Aamodt Folta (Corey), and their children, Zachary, C. Lacey (Stephanie) and Benjamin, great-grandchildren Ayla and Ayden; her son Norman O. Aamodt, Jr. (Rebecca) and their children, Evan (Nicole), Jonah, Rachel and Evan; her son Jason B. Aamodt, and many nieces, nephews and friends near and far.

Throughout her life, Marjorie was a trailblazer. She and her sister were the first members of their family to graduate high school. This began the tradition of Marjorie achieving tremendous academic success and professional recognition. Beginning with her being the Valedictorian of Bound Brook High School class of 1945 and subsequently through the efforts of a wonderful teacher, being awarded a full scholarship to Douglass College (Rutgers University) from which she earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in 1949. She was then offered a full graduate assistantship to Brown University to study Experimental Psychology. She often told wonderful stories about studying under famed psychologist B.F. Skinner, running experiments with rats in the basement of the university and meeting so many brilliant minds.

After receiving her Sc.M in Psychology from Brown, Marjorie was hired as the first female member of the Technical Staff for Bell Laboratories in Murray Hill, NJ. She worked on many classified projects having to do with the Early Warning System and that is as much as she ever said about that!

Marjorie was very proud of her work on experiments at the Labs that not only led to how we dial a phone, but also to the fact that people would prefer a telephone that wasn’t black. It was also widely held that people were unable to remember more than 4 or 5 digits, so her research was essential for the expansion of the vast number of telephone numbers throughout the world. So, the next time you dial a 10 digit number on your blue phone, think fondly of Marjorie!

Marjorie met her husband, Norman Aamodt, at Bell Labs. After a brief courtship, they married in 1954. Marjorie left Bell Labs after the birth of her first child, as so many talented women of her era did.

A few years later, Marjorie and Norman and their young family moved to Chester County, PA, where they bought an old farm and started their second careers as farmers. With absolutely no knowledge or experience, they created one of the first organic farms in the nation, raising Angus beef cattle. Marjorie, with her tremendous abilities, figured out how to market that beef to create a profitable business. Through her tenacity and willingness to speak to anyone, she would tell how very delicious and healthy Snowhill Farm beef was. It was so delicious that she sold beef to many notables including silent film star Gloria Swanson, and others, creating a profitable niche market that was unheard of in the 1960’s and really became the benchmark for marketing similar products.

Shortly after the Three Mile Island Nuclear accident in 1979, Marjorie answered an advertised request for training professionals with degrees and experiences like hers to participate in hearings to discover the cause of that accident. Through her tireless efforts, she was able to identify training deficiencies of those operators and subsequent testing irregularities as causes of the accident. Her work led to significant changes in training on simulators and testing improvements, and as a result, there has never been a second accident like the one at Three Mile Island.

In the mid 1980’s, Marjorie and Norman left the farm and purchased a property in Lake Placid, NY. Their beautiful home, high in the Adirondacks, was the site of many wonderful memories for all. In 2020, they moved from Lake Placid to Raleigh, NC.

Marjorie was a remarkable, formidable woman whose life spanned so many innovations, changes and discoveries. She was always up for change and always interested in an adventure. Her memory will continue with those of us who knew her best as we try hard to live lives worthy of her.

A service to celebrate Marjorie's life will be held Saturday, February 19th at 12:00 pm at Brown-Wynne Funeral Home, 300 Saint Mary's St. Raleigh, NC. A reception will follow the service at Brown-Wynne. Burial will be held at Hillside Cemetery in Scotch Plains, NJ.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Marjorie’s name to the Tri-Lakes Humane Society, Inc.

PO Box 1111, Saranac Lake, NY 12983; https://www.trilakeshumanesociety.org/donate

Condolences can be made through www.brownwynneraleigh.com