Marcia Schorn

Born September 8, 1935 in Chicago, Illinois, Marcia was raised by a single mother during the Great Depression, with the help of her Italian immigrant grandmother and a large family of aunts, uncles, and cousins. She graduated from Immaculata High School in 1953, where she was a member of the National Honor Society, Latin Club, and Chemistry Club. She received a scholarship from the Catholic University Club of Chicago to attend Loyola University. She originally enrolled as a pre-med major, but at that time, only four women were admitted into the Medical School annually, and they had to promise not to bear children while enrolled. Not willing to engage in such intense competition, nor to sign away her reproductive rights, Marcia joined the Nursing School. There she found a real “esprit de corps” which was more in line with her philosophy of life. In 1954, Marcia met Ronald Anthony Schorn. They got engaged on their third date (the original stage production of “The King and I,” starring Yul Brenner), married in 1958, and were married for 60 years, until Ron’s death in 2018.

Marcia received her B.S. in Nursing in January of 1958, and over the next fifty years she worked as a Registered Nurse in Illinois, California, Texas, and Boston. She specialized in medical-surgical and neurosurgical nursing in hospital settings. Later in her career, she worked in hospice and home healthcare, where she found the patient contact particularly rewarding. She was a lifelong advocate for better pay and working conditions for nurses. At one point, she left nursing for three years to teach preschool, because she learned that the check-out clerk at her grocery store was earning more per hour than she was as an RN in a surgical ward.

Marcia raised five children in a loving, if sometimes chaotic, household. Her patience, generosity, and good humor made her the heart of the family. She was scrupulously fair, and raised her children to be independent thinkers (which may have contributed to the chaos). Having grown up during the Depression, she never wasted anything, and she was adept at making the best of bad situations. “If you’re healthy, you should be happy,” she would say. “And if you’re healthy and happy, what more could you want?”

When she was diagnosed with breast cancer in her fifties, Marcia joined a research study to test new therapies. Her participation in that study contributed to changes in chemotherapy protocols that have improved survival rates for many patients. She remained cancer-free for the rest of her life. Though she could no longer be a blood donor after undergoing chemo, she had donated regularly to the Red Cross—by her estimate, she gave a gallon of blood every two years.

Marcia loved learning and teaching, whether she was giving clinical instruction in medical-surgical nursing to students at Mercy Hospital School of Nursing, or teaching her young son to make a grilled cheese sandwich. When her children were young, she was active in Brownies and Girl Scouts, and taught religious education to fifth-graders. When she retired, she became a docent at the George H.W. Bush Library, and enjoyed teaching schoolchildren about American and world history there. She loved all animals, but had a special place in her heart for those that were abandoned, old, or sick (sometimes all three). A bouncy puppy didn’t interest her as much as a gray-faced stray with a skin condition. Over the years, she cared for a procession of lost, unwanted, or damaged dogs and cats, in addition to feeding the birds and other wildlife at her home near the Brazos River.

Marcia was a member of St. Thomas Aquinas Church in College Station until her declining health confined her to home. She is survived by her children Peter Schorn of Colorado, Ellen Schorn-DiSalvi of Fort Worth, Paul Schorn of Virginia, Cathy Schorn of College Station, and Susan Schorn of Austin, as well as her six grandchildren: Whitman and William Schorn, Mark and Grace DiSalvi, and David and Lillian Swearingen. Her nephew, Don Mazza Jr., resides in Chicago.

Funeral service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, December 12 at Memorial Funeral Chapel, 2901 Texas Ave, College Station. Interment will follow at College Station City Cemetery. Visitation will be from 5-7 p.m., Monday December 11, at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Medical Missionaries of Mary, an organization Marcia supported for many years: https://mmmworldwide.org/