Marjorie Little, 61, of Chestnut Hill, of ovarian cancer on May 2, 2022.
Loving wife for 31 years of Richard Dupuis Jr. Survived by daughter Lillian Jingyi Dupuis and brother Douglas M. Little (Linda Moorman). Also survived by goddaughters Hannah Swift and Eliza Lukens-Day, godson/nephew Bryan Hozack, nieces Cathy Hozack and Erin Markham, nephew Jamie Hozack, cousins Cheryl Swift, Leslie Beary, R. Bruce MacLelland, Stuart MacLelland, and John Winter, and their families.
Marj was born in Abington, first child of George Raymond Little and Sarah Jane Miller, and grew up in Gwynedd Valley. Attending Wissahickon High School, she was co-captain of the marching band, played mallet percussion in the All-State HS orchestra and jazz band, and graduated valedictorian. She graduated cum laude from the University of Rochester with a BS in Biology. While working for The Institute for Scientific Information (ISI), Marj earned her Masters in Library Science from Drexel University and, as her company’s Y2K officer, helped save the world’s infrastructure.
In 2000, Marj and Dick adopted Lilly. Among the many joys brought on by Lilly’s arrival, a new perspective on life led Marj to transition from the corporate world, first as a fulltime mother and community volunteer, and soon into a new career, finding her dream job as the lower school librarian at Germantown Friends School (2007-2020).
A longtime member of St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church, Marj served the parish in many ways – on altar guild, playing in the bell choir, and teaching Sunday school. She served on the vestry, first as clerk and then as Rector’s Warden (2007-2011), playing a key leadership role as the church called a new rector.
Both as a point of professional pride and out of genuine enjoyment, Marj read most of the children’s literature in her library, especially any of the new additions to the collection for which she was responsible. But her love of books and reading was voracious, covering all genres (with, perhaps, a sweet tooth for murder mysteries). At any given moment, her bedside table might be stacked with authors as varied as Dennis Haseley, Jacqueline Winspear, Doris Kearns Goodwin, and Richard Powers.
Among her other passions, Marj derived a deep-rooted delight from gardening, which she inherited from her father. The two of them often planned their plantings together and shared seedlings every spring.
She also loved travel, planning and organizing family vacations from Sanibel Island to Iceland. In the fall of 2021, she managed a dream expedition to Alaska, refusing to be deterred by either COVID or cancer.
Memorial contributions may be made to the music fund at the Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields (https://www.stmartinec.org).
Funeral was held on Saturday, May 14th at 3pm, at the Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, 8000 St Martins Ln, Philadelphia, PA 19118.
