Deanna Lee Marschka went for a walk early Sunday morning, September 20.

She didn't return.

Deanna was struck and killed in a crosswalk by a vehicle in New Orleans, Loui-siana. She had recently retired after a 40-year career as a Registered Nurse. She was 62 years old.

Deanna was born on April 25, 1958 in Seoul, South Korea.

She is survived by her mother, L. Audrey Marschka of Elizabethtown, PA and brothers, David (Susan), Leola, PA, Douglas (Kathy), Landisville, PA and Daniel (Valerie), Lancaster, PA. Her father, F. David Marschka, died in 2018. She is also survived by nieces, nephews, and great nieces. She graduated from Lancaster Country Day School and Geisinger Hospital School of Nursing.

Deanna was a compassionate and dedicated caregiver. Friends and family will miss her smile, infectious laugh and warm, kind heart. To other co-workers she was known as a beautiful soul and a mentor.

Her other passions in life included music, science, our natural environment and animals, especially her dogs. She traveled and lived in many parts of the country, including Pennsylvania, Oregon, Iowa and the greater New Orleans area.

Her early life was briefly spent in an orphanage where her biological Korean mother brought her as an infant, likely because Deanna was biracial living in an intolerant culture. Through Welcome House, an adoption agency of The Pearl S. Buck Foundation, Deanna arrived at the loving Lancaster, PA home of Dave, Audrey and their three boys.

Later in life, as a 26-year-old woman, Deanna traveled with Dave and Audrey to South Korea. She accompanied and returned with another adopted child from South Korea to a new family in the USA.

Her voice lives in the sounds of a rippling stream. We sense her presence deep in the quiet woods. Our hearts swell as dogs bark, romp and play. We feel the breeze as her memory caressing our faces.

Friends, hug your family. Peace be with you, Deanna. A memorial and interment will be private.

Contributions would be appreciated in Deanna's memory to the World Wildlife Fund for Nature , the ASPCA , Pearl S. Buck International or Doctors Without Borders .