Marian Noelke Atcheson
April 21, 1934 - October 27, 2021
Marian Noelke Atcheson passed away peacefully in her sleep on October 27, 2021 at age 87, due to complications of dementia. She was dearly loved and will be terribly missed.
Although the Bay Area was her home, Marian originally grew up with her younger brother Hal on her family’s ranch in southwest Texas, miles away from the nearest small town. She always claimed that the best way to ride was obviously bareback, had a pet goat that she loved dearly, and really did walk a mile to the highway every day to catch a public bus - just to ride another 15 miles to school.
She also learned to drive a pickup truck at a young age, won ribbons for rifle shooting, and picked up some useful border Spanish along the way. Her parents thought to civilize her a bit by sending her first to Hockaday, a girls’ boarding school in Dallas, then on to college at Pine Manor, in Boston. It was there where she met a serious guy from Chicago, Dave Atcheson. At 6 foot 7, the Harvard law school grad and the almost six-foot tall “Tex”, as she was known then, made quite a couple. They married in 1953 and moved to San Francisco, where Dave set up practice.
Marian’s early married life was centered on raising their three children, and socializing with neighborhood friends in San Mateo Park. She became very involved in the renovation of the Coyote Point museum (now CuriOdyssey), and its fundraising efforts through Decorators’ Show Houses. She stayed active in the Auxiliary well after the new museum was completed in 1981, and treasured regular lunches with her Auxiliary pals.
As her children grew older and in addition to her volunteer work, Marian dove into a career in the travel industry. Starting as an agent affiliated with Town & Country Travel, she soon decided to specialize in honeymoon and resort vacations. She particularly enjoyed discovering special places to recommend to her clients, and in 1989 she opened her own business, the Honeymoon Travel Registry. Over the years she visited over 40 countries and every continent except Antarctica – not bad for a small-town gal. And although Marian and Dave eventually divorced, she was fortunate to find another tall guy, Dick Seward, who shared her love for travel.
She took pleasure in her garden and in trips to the SF Symphony and Ballet, and enjoyed attending Peninsula speaker series talks well into her 80s. And through it all, Marian played cards. She was a master at gin rummy, played solitaire for relaxation, and had a special love for bridge. (She claimed that when she was ten years old her mother had taught her to play the fourth spot when one of the adult players didn’t show.) She was a member of several long-time bridge groups, and played regularly throughout her life. Like Marian, Dick was competitive at cards and dominoes, and they kept a running point tally. When the total reached a set limit, the loser always treated the winner to an evening out!
Even after a lifetime in California and traveling all over the world, Marian’s Texas roots were ever just under the surface. From time to time, we would catch a glimpse, call her on it, and she would laugh and say “oh bushwa”! She was a straight shooter who spoke her mind, which was sometimes surprising (and entertaining) to her grandchildren. We all loved her and will miss her greatly.
Marian is survived by her children Catherine Atcheson (Christian Fritze), Carol Atcheson Spooner, and James Atcheson, as well as grandchildren Max & Lucas Spooner and Hannah & Matthew Fritze. She was preceded in death by her former husband, Dave Atcheson, her long-time partner Richard Seward, and by her brother Hal Noelke. The family held a private celebration of her life, and encourage you to remember her and raise a glass whenever the mood strikes!