Marian E Warriner

Marian was born on August 5, 1919, to Franklin Edwin and Gladys L. (Thielan) Ford as the elder of two daughters and grew up on the family farm near Norvell, MI. She was the valedictorian of her 1936 class at Napoleon Rural Agricultural High School. After graduating from Cleary Business College, she went on to major in mathematics at Hillsdale College where she met her future husband and the love of her life, Charles K. Warriner. After both had earned their Bachelors’ degrees, they married on August 29, 1942, the start of more than 60 wonderful years together.

They lived in Chicago for several years while Chuck progressed toward his Ph.D. in Sociology at the University of Chicago and Marian worked as a secretary. In 1949 they moved to Lawrence, KS, so that Chuck could accept a position as Associate Professor at the University of Kansas. Two sons and a daughter were born during the late ’40s and early ’50s, and the whole family took off on a Fulbright grant to spend 1958-59 in the Philippines where they lived in a small village on Mindanao Island.

Summers were often spent camping in northern Minnesota and, particularly after Chuck’s retirement, the couple cherished the summers at their Bear Lake cabin among the trees, birds and wildflowers of the region and among the lake’s community of friends.

Marian was an honored member of both the University Women’s Club and the League of Women Voters of Lawrence-Douglas County. For many years, she served as one of the League’s volunteer lobbyists at the Kansas Legislature where she specialized in school finance issues. She was also an active member of the Unitarian Fellowship of Lawrence for over 50 years.

She volunteered as a docent for the Spencer Museum of Art in more recent years and avidly studied Art History to improve her docent skills. She loved playing her piano, reading Dickens’ novels with the Dickens Readers group, studying Spanish with a play-reading group and playing bridge every Tuesday afternoon with close friends.

Marian was preceded in death by her husband Charles, on February 8, 2003. Her sister, Mary Eleanor Shulls, 91, of Boulder, CO, followed her in death by one day. They had been close all their lives and their families are comforted that neither had to confront the loss of the other.

After Chuck’s death, Marian courageously pursued her final decade with passion, determination and an overridingly optimistic attitude. She is survived by her children, Douglas A. Warriner (Sandra), Centennial CO, David P. Warriner (Susan), Perry KS and Ruth Singleton (Roger Simmonds), Kansas City, MO; 6 grandchildren and 9 great grandchildren.

Donations in her memory may be made to the Charles K and Marian E Warriner Fellowship in Sociology, KU Endowment, P.O. Box 928, Lawrence, KS 66044-9950; and The Lawrence Unitarian Fellowship 1263 North 1100 Road, Lawrence, KS 66047.