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Marian Decker Macgregor
VIRGINIA BEACH, Vir. — Marian Decker Macgregor died Sept. 30, 2024, just shy of her 99th birthday in Virginia Beach. Known for her feisty and independent spirit, she sported a quick wit and a great sense of humor. She delighted in opportunities to pull off a clever prank. She enjoyed sharing newspaper clippings with her family and found virtue in good manners and fine penmanship. She took pride in being a great grammarian. Marian loved art, music, birds, and beautiful flowers.
Marian was born Oct. 19, 1925, in Colwick, N.J. Her father, Henry Bristol Decker, was a prominent physician and esteemed professor at Thomas Jefferson Medical School. Her mother, Bertha Blanche Fleming Decker, was a nurse who served in Le Mans, France, during WWI. Marian studied English and Dramatic Arts at Douglass College and upon graduation, worked at N.W. Ayer & Sons Advertising Company in Philadelphia on the DeBeers “Diamonds Are Forever” campaign.
In 1948, Marian married Warren Terrill Reeb, who served with the U.S. Air Corps in the European Theatre of WWII. She raised her three children in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., and was active there on the boards of the Children’s Theatre, the Community Concert Association, and the Junior League. Marian found love for a second time in Woodstock, marrying Franklin Hooper Macgregor in 1979.
Marian’s tenure as a tutor at the Rectory School in Pomfret gave her great pleasure. In recognition of her long and dedicated service, she was awarded the school’s prestigious Kellog Grant. She retired at age 83, and for many years thereafter, enjoyed hearing from students whose lives she had positively impacted.
She leaves her children, Terry Reeb, Jane Short, and Molly Nissman; stepchildren, Isabel Cabel, Rob Roy Macgregor, Harriet Stephens, and Louise Rounds; grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and two special sons-in-law, Win Short and Harry Lehman.
A memorial service was Oct. 10 at the First Congregational Church, Woodstock, with a separate gathering for sharing memories Oct. 19 in Virginia Beach. www.hdoliver.com. Donations: the First Congregational Church of Woodstock (www.firstchurchwoodstock.org); or the Virginia Symphony Orchestra (www.virginiasymphony. Local arrangements by Gilman Funeral Home & Crematory, 104 Church St., Putnam,
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