The 4th of 9 children, Marie was born on May 4, 1925 to the late Eugene and Angela (Fasching) Stifter. Her early years were spent toiling on the familyâs dairy farm and attending school.
After graduating from Holy Trinity High School, she moved to Minneapolis where she worked as a secretary for several years. Smart, independent and adventurous, Marie moved to Seattle, WA in her 20s to work at a television station. She returned to Minnesota to marry the love of her life, Jerome and start a family. Marie and Jerome eventually moved to the DC area where she took on her most fulfilling and challenging job – successfully raising six children. In 1976, Marie rejoined the work force as an Editorial Assistant for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Marie and Jerome built and retired to their lakefront dream home in Gettysburg in 1987. Here they lived their golden years fishing and boating with their grandchildren, tending to their garden, playing bridge with the wonderful friends they made in Gettysburg and most importantly to Marie, hosting holiday gatherings for their six children and 12 grandkids. Several years after her husbandâs passing, Marie moved to her townhouse near downtown Gettysburg, where she lived independently until her passing.
Marie, an active and devoted member of the St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, enjoyed volunteering, spending time with family and friends, swimming at the YWCA and playing cards. An avid bridge player and card shark extraordinaire, she played and dominated at cards until days before her passing. She will be remembered for her fierce independence, warm heart, intelligence, competitive nature and quick wit.
She is survived by her six children, Carol(Mike) Rentz of Fairfax, Virginia, James (Suzanne) Gockowski of Gettysburg, Pa , Mary Burchette of Coralville, Iowa, Tom (Nancy) Gockowski of Chalfont, Pa, Nancy (Steve) Putman of Grantsville, Md and Jean (Geoff) Dubey of Westchester, NY, 2 sisters- Sister Corina Stifter and Gladys Hintz, one brother- Gerard Stifter as well as 12 grandchildren, and 2 great grandchildren. Marie was predeceased by 5 brothers and sisters and over 100 first cousins.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 2:00 PM on Saturday, April 6, 2024 at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, 25 West High Street, Gettysburg, PA with Fr. Stephen Kelley, Celebrant. Interment will follow the Mass in St. Francis Cemetery. The family will receive friends on Saturday at the church from 1:00-2:00 PM. Online tributes and condolences may be made at monahanfuneralhome.com.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her honor to the Parkinsonâs Foundation, https://www.parkinson.org/ or Catholic Relief Services https://www.crs.org/
This obituary was originally published here.