Mary "Marna" (Houser) Kirkham, 85, of Millersville PA passed away peacefully on Wednesday, June 2nd 2021 after a short illness. She was born June 26, 1935 in Latrobe, PA, a daughter of the late Carolyn (Sweeney) Houser and Harry Houser, sister to the late Linda (Houser) McMahan, Pam (Houser) George, and Carol Houser, and mother to the late Christopher Kirkham.

She was a 1953 graduate of Jeannette High School and later received an associates degree in marketing from the University of Pittsburgh. Marna started here career with the Elliott Company in Jeanette and on September 5th, 1964 married her now husband of almost 57 years, Michael Kirkham, at Sacred Heart Church. Over the next five decades, Marna and Mike moved from New York, to Ohio, to Massachusetts, to North Carolina; finally settling in the early 1980s back in Pennsylvania in Lancaster County. During her career she held various positions in marketing and office management, but most of all enjoyed being a loving wife and mother.

Marna loved to travel; singing to the Pope in Rome, cruising the coasts of Alaska, exploring the banks of the Rhine River, and enjoying the beautiful sunsets of North Carolina. She was an avid reader, lover of theater and enjoyed playing bridge and mahjong with friends. An active member of St. Philips Roman Catholic Church in Millersville, PA, Marna was deep in faith and volunteered for various organizations throughout her life.

She is survived by her husband Michael C. Kirkham, son Mark Kirkham, daughters-in-law Jennifer (Thompson) Kirkham and Heather (Steele) Kirkham, sister and brother-in-law Pat and Ian Wright, and niece/sister Marcia Simons. Marna loved spending time to her beautiful granddaughters Kylie and Brooke Kirkham and was blessed with numerous nieces and nephews.

A family burial service was held at Twin Valley Memorial Park in Delmont, PA on Friday June 4th at 1:00 pm. A Mass in celebration of Marna's life with be held in her honor on July 24, 2021 at 11:00 AM at St. Philip the Apostle Catholic Church, 2111 Millersville Pike, Lancaster, PA 17603. There will be a time to visit with the family at church from 10 until 11 AM. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Hospice and Community Care , 685 Good Dr., P.O. Box 4125, Lancaster, PA 17604.