ROCKPORT: Marjorie “Mardi” Rush Drake, 88, co-founder of Landmark School, died Thursday, October 30, 2008 at her home in Rockport. She was the wife of the late Charles “Chad” Drake who died in January of 2003.
Born in Washington, D.C. on April 20, 1920, she was the daughter of the late Richard M. and Marjorie (Brown) Rush. Her father was a Captain in the U.S. Navy, so the family moved often. Her best childhood memories come from the years her father taught at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. Before high school, her family settled in Winchester.
She received her BA degree from Wheaton College and later her MFA from Boston University. Between those years, she worked for the Institute for International Education in New York City and married Chad who was working on his MDiv at Union Theological Seminary. They then went to Appalachia to teach in rural communities and moved to Berea College in Kentucky, where Chad taught. They spent a great year in Denmark on a Fulbright Scholarship and in 1959 they moved to Lexington while Chad worked on his EdD at Harvard. Later Dr. and Mrs. Drake moved to Essex after establishing Landmark School in Prides Crossing in 1971.
Mardi is survived by her three children, Christopher Drake, a professor in Tokyo, Japan, Laurel Drake-Major, a grantwriter of Rockport and David Drake, Headmaster of White Oak School and his wife, Karla K. Drake of Northampton, six grandchildren, Christian Drake of Albuquerque, NM, Julia Davenport-Drake of Maidstone, England, Benjamin Drake of Boston and Alex, Charles and Cecilia Major all of Rockport, a sister and brother-in-law, Fran and Dr. Donald Rice of Tucson, AZ, two brothers and a sister-in-law, David Rush of Arlington and the Rev. Richard Rush and his wife, Anne Rush of Concord, NH, nine nieces and nephews and many great-nieces and great-nephews across the United States.
A memorial service will be held in the late spring of 2009. Interment will be privately held in the Spring Grove Cemetery in Northampton at the convenience of the family. Expressions of sympathy may be made in her memory to the White Oak School, 533 North Rd., Westfield, MA 01085.