Dartmouth, MA: Lee Webster Marland (November 17, 1934-September 28, 2023) passed away peacefully in his home with his beloved wife, Diane M. Gilbert, by his side, less than two months shy of his 89th birthday after a period of declining health.
Born in New Bedford, MA, Lee was devoted to his loving parents, the late John H. Marland (former Dartmouth town administrator) and Mildred E. Jackson Marland of Dartmouth, MA.
He is survived by his wife and life partner of 45 years whom he loved dearly and supported unequivocally; “you made my life,” was a mutually spoken refrain. He is also survived by his cherished younger brother, John E. Marland and sister-in-law Joan Burke Marland of Cotuit, MA; niece, Melissa H. Marland and husband Ryan Noonan, daughter Madeleine E. Noonan, of Vienna, Austria; niece Lia A. Marland Murphy and husband David Murphy, their children Alison Murphy and John David Murphy of Duxbury, MA. Lee also leaves Diane’s family whose company he enjoyed. In the twilight of his years, he valued the comforts of home with his wife and cats nearby. Family gatherings brought him joy.
Lee was the valedictorian of the Dartmouth High School class of 1952 with the worst attendance on record. Perennially late for school, he was nurtured in a supportive environment and encouraged to be his best self, reading every volume in his father’s library. He was proud to join the Harvard College Class of 1956, receiving his A.B. in International Relations in 1959 after serving in the U.S. Army for 22 months. A skilled radio operator and marksman, he was a soldier who challenged authority, rejecting the offer to become a sniper in Vietnam. Harvard never looked so good!
Most of his professional career was spent at the M.I.T. Instrumentation Lab, which divested in 1973 to become the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory in Cambridge, MA (the Lab) where he met Diane, or as he called her, “dg,” a nickname he continued to use until the very end. “Lee-Lee” as she lovingly called him had many fond memories of his friends and colleagues from Draper Lab. A bygone era when those who worked hard played hard with many an evening spent at the M.I.T. Faculty Club with a gang of friends and colleagues and where his relationship with Diane began. The running joke was that “she chased me,” and finally, she convinced him that theirs was to be a joined destiny.
Among Lee’s best Lab memories were of supporting the Apollo Program in the early days when the space race was erupting, with visits by the “Apollo 7” and courting the brass in D.C. adding to the excitement of those times. It was the promise, then the realization, of getting a man on the moon that brought everyone together. Everyone at the Lab had a part to play. Post-Apollo, missile guidance and defense programs dominated the Lab’s mission. There were many tales of business trips across the country on those 747 jumbo jets with Grigg and Cohen, now also deceased.
He always said that Dartmouth was the best place to grow up. He loved the sea and carried precious memories from his early days of surfcasting with his childhood friend “Murph” on the Dartmouth shores; sword fishing on the “Sarah V” with TrEgan, Down Island Johnny, and Gul, nailing swordfish tails on the shacks at Menemsha Bight; sailing the northern New England coast on “The Doric,” Charlie Coolidge’s fifty-five-foot yawl, as cook and navigator before GPS. Starting in the mid-1980s, he enjoyed 20 winters in Barbados with Diane; he loved jazz, especially Shirley Horn, early Miles, Coltrane, Duke, Getz, and Henderson.
Lee lived life on his own terms and didn’t fit the traditional mold, a common trait for both in this relationship. Theirs was a love affair that started with the Blizzard of 1978 and carried on until the end of Lee’s life. A life worthy of celebration of true soulmates, of deep mutual love, respect, and acceptance of one’s individuality that comes around only once in a lifetime.
The family is grateful to Meg and Tara of Gentiva Hospice Care for their help and support in Lee’s final weeks. At Lee’s request, there are no services. Private interment at Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, MA. Arrangements by the WARING-SULLIVAN Dartmouth Funeral Home. For on-line tributes, visit our website at www.waring-sullivan.com.
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