Marijane Felvey Marks, a longtime Greenwich resident who ran the bookstore at Christ Church Greenwich for 25 years, passed away on Feb. 23 at The Nathaniel Witherell in Greenwich. A well recognized and much loved force of nature in all of her many activities in the Town of Greenwich, a community she loved, Marijane was the widow of the late Wirt Peebles Marks III, and is survived by her three children Wirt P. Marks IV (Paula) of Richmond, VA; Susan Marks Reed (Alfred) of Pawling, NY; and Warren Shepherd Marks (Amy) of Portland, OR.
Marijane was born Aug. 30, 1929, in Richmond, VA, and raised by her beloved aunt, May Rose Felvey. She attended the Ginter Park School and Thomas Jefferson High School before embarking on a career in politics. In 1958, she was the youngest female delegate to the Democratic Convention, and in 1960 she was the shepherd for Jack & Jackie Kennedy during their visit to Richmond, VA. Many years later, in 1978, having taken time to marry and raise her family, Marijane co-chaired her friend Rebecca Breed’s successful campaign for Selectman, and again, in 1980, co-chaired Rebecca’s primary campaign for First Selectman and then her successful First Selectman campaign. “MJ” is fondly remembered for those few years in the political spotlight in Greenwich as being firm and fair.
Marijane and Wirt Peebles Marks III were married on July 12, 1958. In 1961, they moved to New York City and Marijane spent much of her time volunteering at the Institute for Physical Medicine, She had a passion for music and, throughout her life, regularly attended the Metropolitan Opera and the New York Philharmonic. They moved to Greenwich, CT in 1963 and became active in the community. Marijane was a member of the Greenwich Garden Club, The Field Club of Greenwich, the Round Hill Club, the Greenwich Choral Society, Christ Church Greenwich and an active volunteer in community efforts. In 1984, she opened the Christ Church Bookstore, and was well known for dispensing sage advice and pastoral care. The three great driving forces in Marijane’s life were her love for her family, her friends and her faith.
In addition to her children, Marijane is survived by her brother Thomas Felvey (Joan) of Richmond, VA and a niece and four nephews.
A funeral service to celebrate her life will be held at Christ Church Greenwich on Thursday, March 11 at 6 p.m. Her burial will take place on March 13, 3 p.m., at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, VA.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The Friends of Nathaniel Witherell, 70 Parsonage Road, Greenwich, CT or thenathanielwitherell.org/donate/donate-online
