Marjorie Eleanor Chesney

Marjorie Eleanor Chesney
September 20, 1924 - May 28, 2015
Beloved Mother and Grandmother
Born in Glendale, California to Charles and Laura Erling, Marjie (she hated Marge) was a life-long Glendalian - she LOVED Glendale! Raised on Louise St. in relative affluence during the Depression, Charles walked to the Red Car on Brand Blvd. for the ride to downtown Los Angeles and a steady job at Citizens Bank. Marjie went all the way through the Glendale Schools, attending Doran St. school (now RD White), Toll Jr, and Hoover High, graduating in 1942 and then going on to Glendale Community College, where she earned an AA degree. During these years she began attending and became a life-long member of the Glendale 1st Methodist Church. She ran with a pack of 10 gals in the youth group, many of whom became life-long friends.
Stopping school during World War II, Marjie went to work for the Pacific Mutual Life Insurance Co. in downtown LA. She enjoyed riding the Red Car with her Dad to Pershing Square - he went to Spring St. and she crossed the park to work. Finally having saved enough money, Marjie enrolled at Occidental College in Eagle Rock. Entering as a Junior, she lived on campus in Haines dorm, and she loved every minute of campus life as the post War years were exuberant! Graduating in 1947 with a BA and a teaching credential, she was ready for work.
Burbank Unified Schools quickly hired the young go-getter and immediately stuck her in a bungalow on the edge of Edison Elementary. There in her 1st year of teaching, she met life-long friends Dorie Beaumont and Joe Recchia. They helped her through that first lonely year on the edge, far from the office. In her third year of teaching, Marjie had saved enough money for a car, and in the process met a cute young Petroleum Transfer engineer at the local Texaco at Grandview and Kenneth Rd. His name was Bob. Robert Wayne Chesney married Marjie June 30, 1950 in the "old" sanctuary of the Glendale Methodist Church. They were life-long partners from then on and lived in an apartment on Virginia St. before buying their first home on Janet Lee in La Crescenta. There in 1958 they welcomed Kent Andrew into the family. Tiring of burning up brakes driving down Briggs, they moved to a cute Gregg-built home on Merriman Dr. in 1960.
Marjie stayed busy for 38 years teaching third, fifth, and sixth grades. In her free time she enjoyed her groups! She joined PEO (a philanthropic educational organization) in 1949, and remained a life-long devoted member of Chapter DJ. She served as President on several occasions, and she especially enjoyed editing the annual year book and the accompanying jaunt to Merget printing, where they saved the letterpress lockup year after year.
In 1967 she was asked to join Delta Kappa Gamma (an Educational Society for Key Women Educators) which she eagerly accepted. A life-long member of Burbank Chapter Beta Epsilon she rose to Chapter President, then Area Coordinator, and finally held several Chi State Offices. A true highlight moment was receiving the Chi State Distinguished Service award in 1998. She enjoyed the camaraderie at the annual State and International conventions that she always attended.
Eager to continue her education (and increase her pay grade!), Marjie decided to pursue a Masters in Education at the University of Redlands in 1976. Teaming with dear friend Loys Bonner on a thesis entitled Writing Skills: A Handbook of Activities to Aid in the Development of Written Composition in the Elementary School Curriculum she graduated with an MAT in 1978. Armed with this new passion, Burbank appointed Marjie to the position of Resource teacher, moving her out of the classroom and into a Lab stocked with materials for teachers to use in Math, Reading and Language Arts. There she held workshops for students as well as in-service training for fellow teachers.
Retiring in 1986, she became even more active with her groups and even added a new one! She joined California Retired Teachers Association. She was President of the local chapter, and enjoyed sharing a strong feminine voice and perspective.
Marjie and Bob and later Cecilia (Bob's mother) enjoyed traveling and went to Hawaii often, as well as Australia, Alaska, Panama Canal, New England for the Fall colors, and Great Britain, but her heart belonged to California and especially Lake Tahoe, Carmel, and Dana Point. And she loved their home - a true oasis - that Marjie fell in love with when she first saw it in 1978. She had one more passion, and that was animals. Pretty much all animals - OK not snakes! - and especially cats. She always had a cat. She loved them and pampered them and talked baby talk to them, buying special diets.
Marjie is survived by her son Kent, daughter-in-law Susan, grandson Peter and his wife Lea, and granddaughter Laura.