Marjorie Ruth (Sears) Parrot, 79, of New London died Friday, April 3, 2020 at Lawrence and Memorial Hospital in New London from complications of renal and congestive heart failure. She was Covid-19 negative x 2. She is survived by her beloved husband of 37 years, Charles M. Parrot M.D.
Marjorie was born in New London on January 26, 1941, the daughter of Nathan and Margaret (Van Pelt) Sears. She grew up in Mystic Connecticut graduating from Stonington High School in the class of 1958. In 1959, Marjie enrolled in the New London Joseph Lawrence School of Nursing and graduated in 1962. She worked nights in the L&M Emergency Room when only a Hospital Corpsman and herself were on duty and responsible for all patient care. Physicians were called at home and had to be coaxed to come into the ER to manage complex cases.
In 1963, Marjie moved to New York City where she worked at large hospitals such as Saint Luke’s, New York Presbyterian, and Cabrini Medical Center. She went on to get her BA and MA in Nursing from Columbia University Teachers College, and worked on Medical/Surgical floors. She became Director of Nursing, In-service Training Supervisor, and Director of Education among other roles. Marjie later went into Geriatric Nursing and worked directly with Elizabeth Kubler-Ross M.D., as she distinguished the stages of Grief, Death, and Dying.
In 1975, Marjie switched careers and began working for what later became Landmark Education headquartered in San Francisco, California. After 45 years, she retired from Landmark as a Senior Course Leader and Consultant on January 2, 2020. She personally led various educational programs to over ten thousand people. She met her husband in one of the programs she led called “The Nature of Reality,” while Chuck was working as a physician at the U.S. Naval Submarine Base in Groton, CT. They fell in love immediately and agreed to get married 3 weeks later and had a glorious wedding on June 25, 1983 at the Subbase Shepherd of the Sea Chapel, and reception at the Officer’s Club.
Marjie and Chuck were married 37 years and were passionately in love—looking forward to many more years together before her untimely death. Marjie loved her two Westies (Mikee and Scottie). She also loved flowers, nursing, old movies, traveling, reading mystery books, watching detective TV shows, and her 5:00pm Tanqueray Martini. Most of all she loved her husband, and her many friends, co-workers, and relatives. She enjoyed taking calls from friends or people participating in her Landmark programs at any hour of the day or night. Chuck describes Marjie as the kindest, most wonderful, and most loving person he has ever known who has touched many thousands of hearts.
In addition to her husband, she is survived by her dear brother Robert Sears, his wife Valerie, and their children Catalina and Scott. She is predeceased by her mother Margaret, father Nathan, and brother William.
Marjie will be dearly missed, but she lived a full life that was “a splendid torch which she made burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.” (--George Bernard Shaw)
Due to the restrictions of the COVID-19 virus, services will be postponed until a later date.
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