Marion Virginia Chesney

Marion was born on April 7, 1919 to Max Burkley and Annie Robertson Burkley on a small ranch in northern California. Max and Annie had immigrated from Switzerland and Scotland, made their way separately to California and then met and married having Marion and her older brother, Charles. Sadly, Marion and Charles were orphaned as children when first Annie and then Max passed away at very young ages. Marion and her brother were adopted after a year in the orphanage by Dr. and Mrs. Emery Meyers where they were lovingly raised in their Chico, California home.

As a young person, Marion was very active and a very skilled seamstress. She even made her own wedding dress when she married John Chesney on November 24, 1938. John had just graduated from Chico State and was beginning his career in teaching. He later specialized in teaching down-syndrome children for over 20 years. John served in WWII in the U.S. Navy aboard destroyers in the Pacific Fleet.

Marion and John had 3 daughters, Virginia, Janet and Carol always making their home in northern California. Marion kept a spotless home and also worked at Penney's to supplement the family income.

In Carol's words, "Mom was a true survivor" having overcome the early deaths of her biological parents, problems with depression and debilitating migraine headaches that would sometimes have her bed-ridden for days at a time.

John passed in December of 1999 due to complications from Alzheimers. Marion took care of him at home until the last couple of years – having been married for 61 years.

After Carol moved to Fort Collins in 2000, Marion joined her after numerous long visits to the area in late 2005. Marion moved into Good Samaritan in late 2009 where she was happy, cozy and content with her bright smile and sense of humor in wonderful form.

Carol is incredibly grateful for the loving care that Marion received at Good Sam and also from Front Range Hospice in the last 2 weeks of her life. She loved music and was literally sung into Heaven to "Amazing Grace" by Jonathan Wretlind, Hospice Chaplain. What comfort there is in that!

Marion is survived by her 3 daughters, 5 grandchildren, 7 great grandchildren and 3 great-great grandchildren. She is also survived and lovingly remembered by 5 nieces and nephews and their children.

Carol would like to thank you for being here today to honor her mother. Thanks also go to Stacy Fenn for her beautiful message from Georgia, and to Virginia McNeill and Sandy Waters for contributions to the floral arrangements.

May we always honor Marion with love and heartfelt smiles as she honored us.

God Bless you all.


Stacy's Message

From Stacy Fenn (Marion's grand-daughter inlaw from Atlanta Georgia)
It is with great honor and respect that I offer these words in regard to the life of Marion Chesney. I know that Carol is thankful to each of you for coming today to share in her sorrow, but also to share in joy as we celebrate Marion's life. Marion was a woman filled with much love and grace. While I regret that my time with her was limited – we were miles apart and on opposite sides of the country, the times I did spend with her where always meaningful. She appeared to me to be someone who lived a rich, long life filled with challenges, love, and adventures. She endured all of life's bitterness and she indulged in all of life's sweetness. I loved to hear her talk of her husband, John. It was always with fondness and affection. She would also share stories of her girls – and raising children during the sixties and seventies. I savored these stories, as they gave me a glimpse into my former husband's heritage.
Sorrow fills our hearts this sad moment, a sorrow that is deep and personal. Marion has silently closed the door of life and departed from us. Our lives will be empty in the areas that she had brightened for us.
By her death all the people who knew her will miss a highly intelligent, vibrant individual with
a rare friendliness and charm of personality. Marion was a genuinely warm and wonderful
individual — whom we will miss greatly. Our sorrow is lessened only slightly with the
comforting thought that we had the privilege to know her.
A person's life on this planet cannot be summed up in a few short paragraphs. I know you all have your own stories about her, as a mother and a friend. I am sure you will find that many of your own experiences with and memories of her embody charm, grace and love.
I regret that I wasn't able to spend time more time with Marion and get to know her better. Life has an amazing way of "getting in the way" and unfortunately we remained a country apart. But I will carry her sweet memory with me always and I will never forget her smiling face.

"Grieve not, nor speak of me with tears, but laugh and talk of me as if I were beside you there."
- Isla Paschal Richardson