Marjorie Hedrick Sibley

Sibley Marjorie Hedrick Sibley age 82, resident of Walker Place and Health Center, Minneapolis. She died on January, 21, 2003, as a consequence of Alzheimer's disease. She was born in Longview, Illinois, one of ten children in a share-cropper's family. Marjorie was valedictorian of her high school class and earned Phi Beta Kappa honors with her B.A. at the University of Illinois, Urbana. After her receipt of an M.A. degree there, she pursued doctoral work in Sociology, passing the prelim examinations. However, marriage to Mulford Q. Sibley in 1942, a move to St. Paul, and the arrival of two children interfered with completion of the Ph.D. degree. Instead, she completed an M.A. in Library Science at the University of Minnesota. After two years of accessions librarian at Macalester College, Marjorie joined the Augsburg College library staff in 1961. She served as Director of their library from 1970-1977, and then as a research librarian until her retirement in 1987, to care for her husband Mulford, who died in April, 1989. In December 1990, Marjorie married Don Irish, a retired Sociology professor from Hamline University. They lived in Marjorie's St. Paul home, where she had resided since 1948. In 2000 they moved to Walker Place, a Minneapolis retirement residence. She had two adult children, Martin Sibley (West Virginia) and Muriel Sibley (British Columbia, Canada). Her five grandchildren are all Canadians: Bronwen, Emily and Nicolas Welch, and Sula and Devon Revelle. Her surviving siblings are Paul Hedrick, Marie Russell, Jean Hoffman, Evelyn Wylam and Barbara Myers. Her husband, Don Irish, survives her. One of the earliest members of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, Marjorie was an active promoter of equality for women--in the workplace, arts, and politics. She was a role model and mentor for many women, including her daughter and granddaughters, and a good friend to many men, including her two husbands, her son, and grandsons. She worked hard for peace and justice all of her adult life. A Quaker memorial will be held to celebrate her life, in the Foss Chapel, Augsburg College, Mpls., on Saturday, February 8 at 2:00 PM. Everyone is welcome to attend and share in the occasion.

Published on January 23, 2003