Marcia Garrison Elshout

Marcia Garrison Elshout, resident of Keene, NH and originally of LaPorte, IN passed away surrounded by love on Friday, April 3, 2026. She was born in November, 1939 in LaPorte to Harriet and Raymond Garrison and was a wonderful older sister to Vicki Garrison Owens. She was a devoted wife of over 40 years to Edward Peter Elshout (d. 2023), dedicated mother to Jennifer Course and husband Tim Zinn and caring stepmother to Sally Elshout and husband Bruce and Amy Edwards and husband Bill. She also was a thoughtful grandparent to Lauren Worster, Jeffrey Edwards, Marcela Dean, and Mateo Lopez Course.

Marcia cherished her formative years growing up in LaPorte with memories of playing kick-the-can with neighborhood kids, cards on the front porch with her Grandmother Tish, and living within footsteps of Stone Lake. She graduated from La Porte High School in 1958 and then from Purdue University in 1962 with degrees in English and Art.

Marcia had a love and gift for children’s literature and writing. She worked as an editor for Scott Forseman in Chicago and was married to her first husband, Gary Course. After moving to Cleveland, she created an educational comic strip called Amanda Panda, which was syndicated in national newspapers in the early 70s, before raising her young daughter, Jennifer. In the late 70’s, she worked as a children’s librarian and earned her MA in Library Science from Case Western Reserve.

Upon marrying her childhood friend, Peter Elshout, in 1981, she established a life in the community of Nichols in (Trumbull, CT) for 30 years, where she was a devoted mother and stepmother to Sally, Amy and Jennifer. There, along with Peter, she contributed to civic activities, such as the Nichols Improvement Association and the Pinewood Lake Association. She also continued her love of children’s literature and wrote several short stories and plays.

For the last 20 years, she and Peter made New Hampshire their home in order to be closer to family including grandchildren Lauren, Jeffrey, Marcela, and Mateo. They found joy in exploring near and far, building a barn overlooking the valley of Keene, participating in the Cast and Brass Antique Tractor Club activities, beautifying their surroundings, and embracing time with family and friends.

Marcia was a lover of all kinds of music, art, and expression and had a joy for life. She saw the beauty in each day and in big and small moments. She valued learning more about her ancestry and family genealogy. She treasured time back in the Midwest with her sister and brother-in-law, Vicki and Walter Owens, as well as nieces Amy Lester, Beth Hinzmann, and Katie Talbert. She valued being a great aunt to Brian and Chloe Lester, Haley, Cole, Abby, and Jenna Hinzmann and Sky, Renee, Justine, and Emma Talbert and cherished being together at family reunions.

Marcia loved traditions, such as giving a new ornament to each member of the family each Christmas, and making strawberry pie and blueberry kuchen on special occasions. She enjoyed traveling to Siesta Key, FL during the winter and walking on the fine, quartz sand of Crescent Beach. Marcia continued creating art, enjoying music and film, and spending time with family and friends up until her last days. Just like one of her favorite musicians, Louis Armstrong, she marveled in “What a Wonderful World” she lived in.

She is predeceased by her husband, Edward Peter Elshout, mother and father, Raymond and Harriet Garrison and sister Vicki Owens. Her life centered on cultivating relationships which continue on in her memory.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to: the LaPorte Lake Association, Cuyahoga County Public Library system, Nichols Improvement Association, or the Alzheimer’s Association.

SERVICES: A visitation will be held for Marcia on Sunday, April 12, 2026, from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm at DiLuzio Foley And Fletcher Funeral Home, 49 Court St, Keene, NH 03431. Immediately following the visitation, a funeral service will be held on April 12, 2026, from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm.