Marianne Worrell

Marianne Catherine Worrell died peacefully of natural causes on April 19, 2023, in Beaufort, South Carolina.

Marianne was preceded in death by her husband of 47 years, Jack Worrell of Annandale, Virginia, and sister, Gertrude (Tuddie) Witry of Luxembourg City, Luxembourg. Marianne leaves behind her two children; Norman J. Worrell (Joy) and Jacqueline W. Jones (William); four granddaughters, Julianne C. Haire (Kyle), Jessica R. Reda, Carianne W. Jones (Hans), and Haley W. Jones (Preston); and four great-grandchildren; Taylor, Blakely, Haven, and Jack. Marianne was a devoted mother, grandmother, and great grandmother. She also leaves behind one nephew who resides in Luxembourg, Claude Witry (Marthy) and their children Max, Tom, and Nina; and two cousins in Germany, Inge Lang and Erika DrÖghoff.

She was raised Catholic in her native country of Luxembourg and religiously attended church as long as she was able. In her last years, volunteers from the Anglican church, Helenas, would come to the assisted living facility.

Marianne was born in Luxembourg, Europe, on 10 February 1925. Her formative teen years were shaped by World War 2, when the Nazi-led Germans invaded Luxembourg. This tragedy was accompanied by the loss of her father who died of a stroke. After finishing the German-run high school, Marianne was sent to live and work at a labor camp where she cleaned and worked in the fields growing food for the German soldiers. She eventually made it home to her beloved Luxembourg three days before D-Day.

When Luxembourg was liberated by the U.S. military, she met her future husband, Jack Worrell, at a Red Cross Dance. After a courtship in Europe, Captain Jack Worrell returned to the United States. At the age of twenty-two, Marianne traveled across the ocean on a Dutch ship to marry Jack. They both attended Appalachian State University, Boone, NC. Although it was difficult for women to obtain a four-year degree at that time, Marianne persevered even after being told she would fail since she was a foreigner. She majored with honors and went on to start her career as a French and German teacher which lasted forty plus years. While teaching, she went on to earn a Master of Education Administration.

Marianne was intelligent, resourceful, a fast learner, and always went the extra mile as a teacher. She was fluent in four languages, including her native Luxembourgish, as well as French, German, and English. She was a member of the Teachers Honor Society; Delta Kapa Gamma and served as president. She also served as head of the Foreign Language Department at Annandale High School, Annandale, Virginia. As part of enjoying being a teacher, she loved her students and tried to make learning interesting and fun by including extra-curricular activities, such as sharing her love for cooking, especially French cuisine; and field trips to the National Gallery, Washington, DC, where she arranged tours in French.

During this time, Marianne was a devoted mother and when her granddaughters were born, she became the epitome of the perfect grandmother. Whether it was gymnastics, soccer, swim and dive meets, or ballet and piano recitals, plays, musicals, or horseback riding competitions, she was there. Later after retiring, she volunteered at her granddaughters’ school.

Her colleagues and friends found her to be kind, caring and friendly. She was a member of the close-knit neighborhood bridge club for fifteen-plus years. Later when she moved to assisted living facilities in South Carolina, she made friends easily who found her to be polite, interesting, sincere, and ready to engage in social and extra-curricular activities.

She aged gracefully and rolled with the punches as long as she could. All her family and friends who loved her, as well as those she encountered on the journey of her life will miss her. They will remember her as an example of a woman who lived a full life, was devoted to her family, and cared for others.

The funeral for Marianne Worrell will be held at Arlington National Cemetery, Thursday, June 1, 2023, at 3:00 pm. Attendees should arrive at the Administration Building of the cemetery by 2:15 pm. If you are family, you will be directed to the assigned family room. Only 10 people are allowed in the family room, but there is no limit to the number of attendees at the service itself. All vehicles should park in the queueing lane in front of the Administration Building, NOT the visitors' parking garage. The security guards at the main entrance will direct attendees to the queueing lane assigned to your family. All attendees 16 years or older must have a valid government-issued photo ID. ** Please review the document entitled "Instructions to Guests for Arlington" that is located beneath this obituary on the webpage. **

Anderson Funeral Home in Beaufort, South Carolina is serving the family. Additional support provided by Storke Funeral Home in Arlington, VA, and Arlington National Cemetery.