Stella Lillian Marlowe

Stella Lillian Tate Marlowe, age 96, of the Glenwood community, passed away Tuesday, July 19, 2016 at Autumn Care of Marion.  Mrs. Marlowe was born on August 12, 1919 in the Greenlee community and was the daughter of the late Ephraim Murray Tate and Margaret Lenore Stepp Tate. In addition to her parents she was also preceded in death by her husband, Monroe “Mon” Marlowe.

At age two, Stella’s mother passed away, at that time George and Hattie Tate Pendergrass helped raise her and two other nieces, Josephine Taylor Gibson and Ila Young.

Following graduation from Marion High School, she obtained a teaching degree in elementary education from Appalachian State Teachers College in 1940.  She started her teaching career at North Cove where she had 49 students and no teacher’s aide.

Mrs. Marlowe then met and married Monroe in 1948.  She spent a few years teaching at Nebo until she began raising her children. Her sister-in-law Sadie Anderson Marlowe had passed away and had a daughter Melanie whom Stella took under her wing and raised her as her own. After Melanie started school she began teaching at Glenwood until she retired.

 After getting her driver’s license on her 50th birthday, she became very active. She helped with Meals on Wheels, and was the President of the Glenwood Home Extension Club.  Stella also volunteered with Hospice, the McDowell Hospital Auxiliary and helped children to read at many local schools. She was a member of Eastern Star, Amaranth and DAR.  She loved to travel, read and work crossword puzzles. She was a member of Glenwood Baptist Church for more than 57 years where she also served as treasurer and in several other capacities. Stella was quite crafty and was well known in the community for her homemade gifts like baby blocks and blankets.

Left to cherish the memories of Mrs. Marlowe are two daughters Margaret “Muff” Marlowe Blankenship, Melanie Marlowe Durham (Steve), and a son Monroe “Pat” Marlowe, Jr.; two brothers, Roy Tate and John Tate; seven grandchildren Eadie Carroll (D’Arcey), Rorie Fredrich (Jason), Alex Marlowe (Kristin), Philip Marlowe, Mandie Zarbano Pennell (Shannon), Stephen Durham and Andrew Durham; eight great grandchildren, Haven, Claire and Sam Fredrich, Marlowe, Nathan, Owen, and Elaina Carroll, and Luke Pennell.

A celebration to honor the life of Stella will be held on Saturday, July 23, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. at Glenwood Baptist Church in Marion with Dr. Dennis Love, Mr. Steve Durham, and Mr. Dickie Jarrett officiating. Interment will follow at Glenwood Baptist Church Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 10:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m., prior to the service at the church.

The family would like to thank the staff at Autumn Care of Marion for the loving care they gave her. Stella had many friends among the staff and residents of Autumn Care. She was especially fond of the CNA’s who took such great care of her. 

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Stella’s memory to the Glenwood Baptist College Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 218, Glenwood, N.C. 28737.