Marjorie Ford

Marjorie Veronica Ford had her sunrise on February 18, 1935, as the first child of the union of Ita Lucille Ford, of Argentina and British Guiana, and Hamilton Montgomery Edmead, of St. Kitts and Nevis. She joined her sister, Catherine Ford and brother, David A. Ford, Sr. followed by Harriet Edmead, some seven years later.

The family resided at 220 Bradhurst Avenue, located in northern Harlem, where Marjorie and her siblings attended The Church of the Resurrection Elementary School and participated in many church-related activities. Marjorie discovered her love of fashion and design with the assistance of her two paternal maiden aunts at their apartment on “Sugar Hill.” With their guidance, Marjorie attended The High School of Fashion Industries, graduating in 1954, and joined the fashion world upon graduation.

In early 1956, Marjorie married Bertram Augustus Fitzgerald, Jr., and the birth of their first child, Denise, followed later that year. The couple was again blessed when they welcomed Bertram III, in late 1958, and then again, welcoming Geoffrey, in 1962. Marjorie stopped work soon after Bert III was born, and she settled into domesticity, taking care of hearth and home, raising the children in Brooklyn, Queens, and Dix Hills, Huntington, on Long Island. Marjorie and Bert created a welcoming environment for all family members to share in, hosting holidays, and summer barbecues, regularly.

After retirement from Liz Claiborne, where she was an Assistant Designer, having resumed her fashion design career when the children were grown, and after having been her husband’s helpmate through the growth of his business, The Golden Legacy Illustrated Magazine Series, Marjorie retired to Sarasota in 1994.

Those Sarasota years were some of the best of Marjorie’s life! She once again created a beautiful home environment, but now she was amongst other retirees who had the leisure time, and enough money to enjoy seeing plays, going to concerts, taking short trips and cruises, and entertaining at one another’s homes. Marjorie again hosted family members over her years there, treating us all to fun in the sun.

In 2012, Marjorie returned to New York, spending quality time with her siblings, children and grandchildren. She was a beloved member of the family as mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt, cousin, sister, and dear friend.

She leaves behind her three children, five grand children-Nnekay, Kyle, Klay, Kory, and Kiana, and great-granddaughter, Maya Sloane Weaver, as well as numerous nieces and nephews, their children and grandchildren. She will be sorely missed, as her kindness, generosity, style and classiness, were legend in our family and among her friends.

Sunset date: July 18, 2025

Please fellowship with the family as we celebrate her life and reflect on the tremendous impact she's had on our lives.

The date for Marjorie's Celebration of Life is to be determined.