Marion Stegner

Marion D. Stegner, beloved matriarch of the Stegner family, passed peacefully by God’s grace in the comfort of her own home on Monday, October, 3, 2016 at the age of 87. A native of New Jersey, she celebrated the golden years of her life as a proud resident of Jacksonville, Florida.

On April 18, 1948, Marion married the love of her life, Frederick A. Stegner in Newark, New Jersey. They were blessed with four beautiful and healthy children who took center stage in their lives. As a devoted mother and passionate hostess, Marion was acclaimed for her famous Sunday gatherings after weekly Mass. She would spend hours in the kitchen prepping a variety of abundant and decadent dishes for the entire family to gather around her enormous banquet table, perfectly set with her finest china, and centered underneath that dazzling crystal chandelier. Wine flowed, jokes were shared, and children laughed, but most importantly, no one ever left hungry. These precious and highly cherished family gatherings brought her a lifetime of warm memories that would comfort her for decades to come.

Marion served as a dedicated nurse helping countless patients over the course of her 40-year career. A reverent Catholic, she had two primary devotions: the Rosary of our Blessed Mother, which she recited daily, and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. After retiring from nursing, she became an avid collector of a wide-variety of many treasured trinkets and fine figurines. She will always be remembered as a strong and supportive matriarch whose greatest past time was visiting with her family while recounting those unforgettable moments that she held so deeply within her heart.

Marion was preceded in death by her loving husband, Frederick A. Stegner in 1984, her son, Anthony J. Stegner in 2008 who passed away unexpectedly at the age of 58, and her daughter, Kathleen M. Stegner who passed away in 2015 after a courageous battle with cancer at the age of 64. Marion is survived by her eldest son, Frederick A. Stegner Jr. of Springfield, Ohio, and her youngest son, Michael J. Stegner of Jacksonville, Florida who was her primary care giver during her final years; she leaves behind a burgeoning generation of new life with nine grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

We celebrate the life of this noble matriarch with visiting hours from 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday evening, October 13, 2016 at Hardage-Giddens Funeral Home, 5753 Blanding Boulevard in Jacksonville, Florida. A Rosary will be prayed here in her honor starting at 6 p.m. during the visitation period. The funeral service will be held the following morning on Friday, October 14, 2016 at 11 a.m. at Hardage-Giddens Funeral Home, followed by interment at Jacksonville Memorial Gardens Cemetery, 111 Blanding Boulevard in Orange Park, Florida.