Adah Maxine Marker, born in El Paso, Texas died at peace on December 26, 2023 in Seacoast Nursing Home, Gloucester, MA, and is in the loving arms of God, and among her many family members and friends who have passed before her in Heaven Eternal.
She was the third daughter of Carl and Bessie Marker and moved to New Jersey at an early age. Adah graduated from Montclair High School in 1941 and was honored with a cup for “Most Athletic”. Her yearbook picture says “If any other sport exists, add Adah Marker to the list.”
Majoring in art design at Syracuse University, war broke out and she left college to help the WWII effort working 48 hour weeks at Eastern Aircraft, a division of General Motors, until the war ended.
She commuted to NYC for seven years, employed in the art department of Modern Talking Picture Service promoting movies and commercial advertising, most notable being a Babe Ruth movie and Ivory Soap commercials.
While vacationing in MA, she accidentally stumbled on a plot of land for sale with gorgeous ocean views including sunrises and sunsets. She had her own house built and moved there in 1958. Her first job there was a technical editor, then she was employed in a letter and print ship where she was in charge of hiring temporary personnel. She developed a working and personal relationship with her bosses, a husband and wife who remained lifetime close friends for over 60 years. Magnolia was her home for almost 70 years where she was on the library board and the historical society board.
She was a member of the original Gloucester Civic and Garden Council and worked tirelessly to preserve land and existing companies and to keep Magnolia beautified. There she was treasurer for over 50 years.
As a lifetime single and independent woman, Adah survived her three sisters by more than twelve years. Although she never owned a pet, she was an animal lover and supported various animal organizations.
She was a generous supporter of dozens of charities, her favorites being Perkins School for the Blind, Cape Ann Animal Aid, Smile Train, and many Veterans organizations.
Adah was passionate about supporting local small businesses, especially in her hometown of Magnolia, as well as all of Gloucester and Manchester. She knew the owners and employees personally and befriended everyone. It was humorous to her as a nonagenarian when she was required to show proof of age to purchase a bottle of wine at Crosby’s! Her generosity extended to several shops where she offered financial help.
Hobbies and talents included ceramics and tile works, designing greeting cards carving walking sticks and canes, birds and especially waterfowl. She accumulated an eclectic display of art from multiple trips abroad.
If you drove or walked through Magnolia you may have seen Adah riding her red scooter around town, waving and talking to everyone. Everywhere she went she was hooked on telling her unique jokes, tailored to her listeners - at the hospital, doctor’s office, to a nurse or aid, to a banker or store personnel, in restaurants, to friends and strangers, and those were laugh-out-loud jokes!
As a child, Adah took piano lessons from age 10-18. After she retired she took lessons again, but didn’t want her window open when she practiced as she didn’t want people to hear her musical mistakes! She practiced Tai Chi for years until COVID hit. She was also in a reading group and her home is filled with books showing her passion for the love of art and healthy practices and old children’s story books.
Articles around her house had nicknames - Rascal, her magnifier, Pierre, her monkey puppet, and many others.
Adah was kind to everyone, generous and charitable, made us all laugh, and lived by the motto “If it is to be, it is up to me”. She lived longer than anyone as all her friends were years younger. She would be proud to say she lived 100 years, 8 months and one day. Her spirit lives on.
She leaves behind her seven beloved nieces and nephews from all around the country.
ARRANGEMENTS: A private gathering in honor and memory of Adah will be held in springtime. Donations may be given to Cape Ann Animal Aid, Perkins School for the Blind, Magnolia Library or Magnolia Historical Society.