The obituary, shown below, was copied from
https://www.kuzoandfoulkfh.com/obituary/Marie-Abernethy
(it may or may not still be available there)
Official Obituary of
Marie M. Abernethy
July 17, 2024
Marie M. Abernethy, age 87, of Kennett Square, PA, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, July 17, 2024 after a prolonged illness.
The eldest child of the late Frederick J. and Mary Healy Marenco, she was raised in the Avondale and Kennett Square area, and was a graduate of Kennett High School and Goldey-Beacom (unless you refer to her Facebook, in which case she went to Yale, and we’ll just stick with that). In 1956, Marie met Robert M. (Toby) Abernethy and they married in 1960, sharing 57 years of marriage until Robert’s death in 2017.
Upon graduation, Marie was hired in the advertising department of the DuPont Company, with quite possibly the briefest interview process on record. She would later recall the perfunctory experience with amusement, “There was a huge snow storm on the day I was scheduled for the interview. I went anyway, only to find that everyone — except the person I was to interview with — had already been sent home. When I walked into his office he said, “Anyone who would come out in this weather for an interview deserves the job. When can you start?” Marie would go on to work at DuPont for nine years, a period of time she always remembered fondly, until the birth of her first son, Robert Jr. (Bob), in 1964.
For the next twenty two years, Marie dedicated herself to raising her two sons, Bob and Barry. A devoted mother, Marie was always there for her boys, whether it was singing them to sleep with her quite lovely rendition of “A Bushel and a Peck,” drilling them on their multiplication tables and lists of prepositions, or attending to the myriad injuries and illnesses that befell young boys in the days when safety equipment was shunned and drinking from the garden hose was approved. Marie’s influence in her sons’ lives was undeniable. While it is true that as adults, one need only have looked in Bob’s garage, where dust feared to tread amid the obsessively perfect organization, or peeked in Barry’s closet at the shockingly large collection of Italian leather shoes, to nod sagely and say without hesitation, “Yup, those are Marie’s boys,” it is the devotion and unconditional love both sons exhibited in raising their own children that is the true hallmark of Marie’s influence and legacy.
That and a love for Italian deli meats, particularly Genoa salami.
While Marie would always say that she was not at all athletic, the evidence tells another story, since she could regularly best her sons and husband in a game of bowling, and in a family of golfers, she was the only one to ever card a hole-in-one. She thrived in hot weather, made acquiring the perfect tan an art form, and could always be counted on to arrange a mid-winter escape to a more tropical locale. Traveling with friends and family was one of her favorite things to do throughout her life, and created so many wonderful memories for all. But by the mid 1980s, with both boys grown, Marie was ready for a new challenge and made the decision to become a realtor, which led her to a second fulfilling career, spending many successful years with Century 21 Pierce & Bair.
Later, Marie would discover a passion for bridge and she could be found most weekdays at the country club, where she and a partner would strive to bring defeat down upon the heads of that day’s opponents. But nothing brought her anywhere near the level of joy she experienced when spending time with her family, which now included four adored grandchildren, who were truly the apple of their Mom Mom’s eye.
In August 2022, Marie lost her son Bob, after his two year battle with pancreatic cancer. This was a devastation from which she never recovered, and although her passing will leave a hole in the lives of those she leaves behind that can never be filled, we know her suffering is ended and they are reunited once again.
She is survived by her loving family, including her son, Barry J. Abernethy, her brother, Fred Marenco, her sister, Betty DiFilippo, and her four grandchildren, Robert M. Abernethy III, Kevin E. Abernethy, Hayley E. Abernethy, and Charles J. Abernethy.
In lieu of flowers, Marie’s family asks that you consider a donation to the American Cancer Society, in the hope that one day no parent will ever again have to lose a child to this horrible disease.
Family and friends of Marie are respectfully invited to attend a graveside service at St. Patrick Cemetery in Kennett Square, PA on Saturday, August 17, 2024, beginning at 11:00 am.
Arrangements by Kuzo Funeral Home of Kennett Square, PA.