Marcia E. York

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Marcia E. York

Marcia E. York, 97, of Kensington passed away peacefully at Amesbury Village in Amesbury, Mass on Friday, December 13 after a period of failing health.

Born on October 30, 1916, Marcia spent many joyful years growing up with her siblings on the York family farm in Kensington, NH, where she developed a great love of horses and other animals.

She graduated from Sanborn Seminary in Kingston in 1935, and from MacIntosh Business School in Portsmouth in 1938.

She worked as an administrator for Public Service Company in Manchester and Exeter Manufacturing Company in Exeter prior to enlisting in the Women’s Army Corp in 1942. Marcia completed basic training at Fort Des Moines, Iowa, and was stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas, from 1943 to 1948. There she became a well known equestrian with the First Calvary Division and was a member of the Fort Riley Hunt Club. She competed and excelled in many equestrian competitions, and was especially proud of a first place win with her close equine companion, Black Magic.

Marcia also spent six years stationed Japan, a deployment during which she had an opportunity to travel to several other Pacific countries. She retired from Fort Devens, Massachusetts in 1962, having attained the rank of Master Sargent, an extremely rare accomplishment for females in the military at that time. After returning from service, Marcia worked as an administrator at the Exeter Clinic in Exeter, NH until her retirement.

Marcia resided in Kensington her entire life with the exception of the 20 years she spent in the military. She was well known in town and was very involved in her community, serving as an active member of the Rockingham County Riding Club, the Universalist Society of Kensington, the Kensington Historical Society, the Kensington American Legion Post 105, and the Rockingham 4H Club, for which she served as a leader. For 25 years, Marcia organized an annual horse show in Kensington to benefit the Kensington Volunteer Fire Department. She was also an ardent supporter of the New Hampshire Farm Museum in Milton, which was founded by her brother, John York, and his wife, Jessie.

Over the years, Marcia provided a loving home to numerous horses, dogs, and cats, all of whom she treated with kindness, respect, and dignity. She was well known in town and among her relatives, friends, and neighbors as a fiercely independent woman who was not afraid to express her opinion, but in a polite, diplomatic, non‐judgmental manner. Until August of this year Marcia lived alone, continued to drive, and walked her dog every day in any weather. She enjoyed conversing with her neighbors on her daily walks, and her greatest love was the outdoors and nature. She had a wonderful sense of humor. In the short four months during which she resided at Amesbury Village she made a lasting impression on all who cared for her with kindness and compassion.

Marcia is survived by her nephew, Bob Sanborn and his wife, Betty of Salisbury, Mass; her niece Barbara Kuegel, of Canton, NY (previously of Kensington); several grand nieces and nephews and great grand nieces and nephews; her close friends and neighbors, Lisa Karakostas and Steve Nickologianes, of Kensington; many close friends; and her beloved canine companion, Zeke, who now resides with Lisa and Steve. She was predeceased by her parents, Archie and Bessie York; her sister Mary and her husband, Theophilis Sanborn and their son, Theo; her sister Faith, with whom she lived for many years; her brother John and his wife, Jessie; her sister Dorothy and her husband, Charles Williams; her nephew‐in‐law, Rob Kuegel; and many special animal companions including her horse Fatima; her dogs, Scooter, Carney, and Kroy; and her cat, Graycie.

A viewing will be held at Stockbridge Funeral Home, Epping Road, Exeter, on Wednesday, December 18 from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., followed immediately by a celebration of Marcia’s life. Family and friends are invited to stay for a reception after the service. Interment will be in the spring at the Kensington Town Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, Marcia requested memorial donations be made to either the Kensington Volunteer Fire Department, Kensington, NH, or the New Hampshire Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NHSPCA), Stratham, NH.

Stockbridge Funeral Home invites you to post your entries of love and support for the family. All postings are monitored and any inappropriate posts will be immediately deleted. Thanks in advance for your respect for the family.

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