Marcia was born on November 21, 1945, in Spring Valley, Illinois, the first child of Melvin James Warrick and Ann Martens Warrick. Shortly after her birth, the family moved to Osborn, Ohio (which became Fairborn in 1950). Marcia attended Fairborn schools, where she met her husband-to-be, Steven Althoen, in seventh grade, and graduated in 1964. She obtained a B.S. degree in education from Ohio State in 1969 and later a Masters and Educational Specialist Degree from Michigan State in 1983.
Marcia began her careers as a Head Start teacher in Knox County, Ohio. She later became the first Special Education teacher ever in the Mt. Vernon, Ohio, public schools. Moving to Queens, New York, Marcia taught first grade for two years before a forced “retirement” for raising children. After eleven years at home, Marcia began her 25-year career as a school psychologist for the Rochester, Michigan public schools.
As a girl and young adult, Marcia was very active in Girl Scouts, attending the national Roundup in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho in 1965 and serving as a Brownie leader in Queens, New York. She was an accomplished flutist in high school and beyond. Marcia was active in the youth group at the Presbyterian Church in Fairborn and sang there in the choir as well as the FHS chorus. While raising her own children, she was active in the Flint area Parent-Child Nurseries at both the local and state level, and was a Cub Scout den mother and pack leader.
With husband, Steve, Marcia was active in the Flint Area Newcomers Club – mostly playing bridge. Later, they managed the physical property of four ancestral estates. They lived for eight months in Wales where their young children attended a Welch school. Besides extensive travel in Wales, they completed many cruises and side trips which took them to Australia, China, Alaska, and South America. The most memorable trip took them to Paris in celebration of their 50th wedding anniversary. In retirement, Steve and Marcia took up ballroom dancing and Zumba. They were fortunate to have their three grandchildren close by and were able to interact with them on almost a daily basis and enrich their lives with educational and cultural experiences and field trips.
Marcia is survived by her loving husband, Steve; her son Michael (Andria) Althoen, of Dexter, Michigan; her daughter, Tosca Trowt, of Otisville, Michigan; and three grandchildren, Alec Althoen, Eve Trowt, and Clara Althoen.