Marquitta C. Gershenson's Obituary
Marquitta Colleen Price Wilson Gershenson – aka Markie – 3/26/36-1/8/16Daughter of Rex Earl Wilber and Gladys Hazel Price. Born in Sac City, Iowa. Moved to Redwood City as a small girl; attended Sequoia High School. She met and married her childhood sweetheart and brother Lucky’s best friend David Wilson; they lived in Belmont, CA; they divorced in the Spring of 1984. At her high school reunion in September 1984, she renewed acquaintance with fellow schoolmate Myron B. Gershenson. They talked by phone until March 1985, when Myron finally persuaded her to go on a date. They were inseparable ever after until Myron’s death on May 1, 2013.Markie joined the international Brotherhood of Teamsters in 1963, and had a long career at Emery Air Freight until the company moved out of State. In the early 90’s, Markie went back to school and obtained her Masters in Social Work with a focus in geriatric care from San Jose State University. She was a social worker for the Family Service Agency in San Francisco for almost 20 years, retiring as a manager in 2011 at the age of 75.Although Markie was all of 5’1″ and weighed less than 100 lbs., her personality filled the room. She loved cats and mice, and collected hundreds of Wee Forest Folk miniature mice.She was an active member of the Feral Cat Co-op through the Peninsula Humane Society and cared a great deal about trapping and fixing stray cats that wandered into her backyard. One summer she trapped and placed 33 kittens. She also cared for the backyard-visiting wildlife, including deer, raccoons, chipmunks, birds, and even a skunk.Markie was an avid football fan. She loved her Niners, but had a not so secret fondness for Brett Favre so was a Packers fan as well. Tom Brady – Mrs. Brady’s Little Boy,as he was called in the Gershenson household – was another of her favorites. When Markie was released from the hospital and sent home on hospice care, she made sure to let everyone know she was not going anywhere until Super Bowl 50 was played. She almost made it, passing in the early hours of January 8th just one month shy of her goal to watch her beloved Super Bowl.Markie was pre-deceased by her husband Myron, her father Rex, her mother Gladys, her sister Barbara, her brother Lucky and many of her beloved cats. She is survived by her step-daughters Stephanie and Alyce(Mike), step-son Martin (Darlene), step-grandson Mason, her brother-in-law Stanley (Beryl), nephews and niece in-laws in Iowa and Florida, her best friend Pepper Smith, her beloved cat Dukie, and many life-long friends.A special thanks to her caregivers/friends Lourdes, Raquel and Selly, and the wonderful team at Pathways Hospice.In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to a charity of one’s choice, or to the Homeless Cat Network or Feral Cat Co-op through the Peninsula Humane Society.Next month the Super Bowl will kick off, the fans will cheer, and the lights will be just a little brighter, because Markie will be watching from the stars
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