Ernest Marr

Ernest Daniel Marr, beloved husband of the late Ellen Griesbeck Marr, passed away on Sunday, May 3rd, 2015, at the age of 94. Born in Memphis in 1920, the oldest son of the late Welborn M. Marr and Lorine Daniel Marr, Ernest began attending St. Luke’s United Methodist Church when he was 7 years old. A member of St. Luke’s since 1933, he was part of the first confirmation class in the present sanctuary on South Highland Street and proudly served as an usher each Sunday morning for several decades. Ernest attended Messick School for 12 years and was a graduate of Messick High School’s class of 1938. He attended West Tennessee State Teacher’s College (now University of Memphis) where he met Ellen, the love of his life. He left college to serve in the United States Army as an artillery sergeant in France and Germany during World War II. Before being shipped overseas, he married Ellen on May 1, 1943 and they celebrated 69 years of marriage before her death. Following the war, he and Ellen raised four children and he worked for and retired from the Quaker Oats Company and Continental Grain. Following his retirement he pursued interests in cooking and growing beautiful flowers in his yard, presenting colorful bouquets to Ellen from his well-tended rose bushes. Together they enjoyed spending time with their grandchildren and traveled frequently to visit their children and grandchildren living out of state. A fine Christian man and a member of the “Greatest Generation,” Ernest was a shining example for his children and others of what a loving son, brother, husband, father and grandfather should be. He had a love of reading and could recite meditations from John Donne, as well as funny poems from Ogden Nash. He was not only a fascinating storyteller, but possessed perfect comedic timing, too, and loved sharing a good joke with family and friends. A great whistler, his children knew that all was right with the world when they heard their Daddy‘s cheerful melodies. Ernest had always expressed a desire to live to see the year 2000, and we were indeed blessed to have him in our lives for many years beyond that; he enjoyed living independently in senior living and was able to handle his own affairs until this past December. He will be greatly missed, though he will live on in those of us who were fortunate enough to have known him. Ernest leaves his sister, Dorothy M. Roberson of Chattanooga, TN; two sons, Bill Marr (Carol) of Atherton, CA and Ray Marr of Austin, TX; daughter, Margaret Deskin (Tom) of White, GA; son-in-law, Rich Baker of Columbus, OH; grandchildren, Bill and Layne Marr, Meredith Fernandez, Melanie and Christian Deskin; great-grandsons Will Fernandez and Hamish Marr; sister-in-law Anne Griesbeck of Memphis and a host of nieces and nephews. In addition to his parents and wife, Ernest was preceded in death by his very dear daughter, Marilyn R. Marr and his brother William H. Marr. Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. Monday, May 11th at Memphis Funeral Home, 5599 Poplar Ave. Visitation will be Sunday evening, May 10th from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. and on Monday beginning at 12:30 p.m. before the funeral. Interment will follow in Memorial Park. Ernest’s family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorials may be made online at https:// tcfapp.org/Donation/FundFree [please specify Marr/Griesbeck] or by mail to the Marr/Griesbeck Nursing Scholarship Fund, c/o Scholarship Manager, The Columbus Foundation, 1234 East Broad Street, Columbus, OH 43215 [phone (614) 251-4000]. Founded by his daughter Marilyn to honor her parents, this scholarship program funds scholarships for nursing students in the Columbus area, where Marilyn lived her adult life.