Obituaries

Mary “Marna” Kirkham, 85

June 02, 2021

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.

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Condolences to the Family

July 12, 2021

Mike and Family
My sincere condolences. A truly lovely and warm person we had the pleasure of socializing with thru Sertoma. Acccept our thoughts and prayers as you grieve the loss of a truly special person. May God grant you peace of heart till you meet again. Tom Young

June 11, 2021

Dearest Mike,
I just heard the very sad news of Ms. Marna’s passing.  My heart is heavy for you but my memory is full of joy.  In this moment of unspeakable sadness, our family prays that your sorrow will give way gracefully to acceptance, peace and remembrance. When your memories bring tears, let them be cleansing. When they bring laughter, let it be warm. If they remind you of happier moments, let them shelter you through a storm. Our love to you, forever M&M. The Cross Family
 
  

June 11, 2021

I will always remember Aunt Marna with a mischievous grin on her face. She was full of fun and had a way of making you feel like the most important person in the room. Although she will be missed, it’s comforting to know that she is no longer in any pain and that she and Chris are together once again. 
Janice Peshek

June 09, 2021

To the Kirkham Family, Marna’s faith, smile and love for life was a great example for us.  We were blessed to have known her.   Paul and Robin

June 06, 2021

Our Deepest Condolences to Mike and his family. Mike,  We really enjoyed our time as neighbors with you and Marna while we lived at Thorngate Place. Your  Fun Parties and Barbecues bring us lasting memories of how special it was to have known Marna.
Richard and Barbara

June 05, 2021

Uncle Mike, Mark, Jen, Kylie, Brooke and Heather- sending you loving thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. I was truly blessed to have  Aunt Marna in my life. She was not only my aunt but also my godmother. She always looked out for me and had my best interests at heart. I am so grateful for all she did for me and with me. It was always a delight to spend time with her! I will miss her dearly and will always cherish the wonderful memories I am lucky to have. It’s a comfort to have all the Houser angels (and Chris) watching over❤️🌺

June 05, 2021

Our deepest condolences to Mike and the entire Kirkham family.  It was impossible not to smile every time you met Marna. Such a kind and beautiful woman.  Norman and Michele

June 04, 2021

Marna was a kind and loving soul and will be greatly missed. All the fun times we had together will never be forgotten. She will live forever in our hearts. Love you Marna.  Terry and Dan 🌹🙏

June 04, 2021

To our “Sister” Marna.  We celebrate your life Marna and we remember all the occasions we celebrated together.  Sweet memories of travel, games, flowers and more.  You will always be with us and around us.        “And He will raise you up on eagles wings…….and make you shine like the sun”.  Ian & Pat

June 04, 2021

To Mike and Mark – from the entire Tom family, I’d like to extend my deepest condolences.  Marna always was the life of the party and I have fond memories of her being the best of friends with my parents, Ray and Lori.  The last (and sweetest) memory I have of her is dancing with her at Mark’s engagement party at their house in  the early 2000s – after I jokingly reached out to her, she grabbed my hand and we danced in front of the entire party (granted, I doubt we were as graceful as I’d like to think given how festive we were at the party).  Rest in peace, Marna.
Gregory Tom

June 04, 2021

Farewell, dear friend. My heart is breaking for Mike and Mark but I know you are now pain free and with your beloved Chris looking down at us, and smiling your sweet, sweet smile. Love you always.  Lori and family

June 04, 2021

Marna shined with love caring and deep faith. We always looked forward to our family visits. We were deeply blessed having Marna in our life. Rest in peace our dearest Marna.   Elaine and Jim

June 04, 2021

We loved dear, sweet Marna so much. I know Paige,  Kate,  and Dylan remember her fondly from childhood gatherings and we always had a good time together. She will forever live in our memories and our hearts and we will always admire her deep faith and the fulfilled life she lived. She is definitely smiling down on all of you from Heaven with Chris. ✝️💕🙏
Kelly Dolyak

June 04, 2021

To Mark and Family, we were so sorry to hear of your loss, and are thinking of you at this time. As we say in Ireland “Ar a dheis dé go raibh a anam”. May she rest in peace. 
Rob, Eileen, Daniel and Andrew Blythe.

June 04, 2021

Love you mom. You will be forever missed, but I know you and Chris are looking down on us with smiles on your faces and love in your hearts. 🙏❤️
Mark Kirkham

June 04, 2021

Rest in pease Aunt Marna
Tony Minyon

Visitation
Saturday, July 24, 2021
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
St. Philip the Apostle Catholic Church
2111 Millersville Pike
Lancaster, PA
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Services
Saturday, July 24, 2021
11:00 AM
St. Philip the Apostle Catholic Church
2111 Millersville Pike
Lancaster, PA
Map and Directions

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