Lenice Marsh

Lenice Marsh, a beloved daughter, was born to Leslie Owens and Haywood Boone on March 31, 1919 in Suffolk, Virginia. During her 98 years on this earth, Lenice became a wife, mother and friend to many. Lenice was called home on July 5, 2017, and a lifetime of love, faith and service on this earth will surely be rewarded in Heaven. Born in the south but raised in New York City, Lenice attended NYC public schools and excelled in secretarial skills. As a young lady, she later lived in Washington D.C. and worked with the War Department at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. Lenice regaled her family with stories of roller skating down the halls of the Pentagon going from one office to another to deliver important papers; attending USO dances; and listening to jazz performers at the Bohemian Caverns in Washington D.C. after work hours. She later moved back to New York City and worked for the National Conference of Christian and Jews (now known as the National Conference for Community and Justice); and eventually worked for the Internal Revenue Service from which she retired in 1979. She enjoyed travelling and had a chance to visit much of the United States with her beloved husband during her retirement years—including both Hawaii and Alaska. Lenice was predeceased by a much beloved husband, John Robert Marsh, in 1992, and her loving mother, Leslie Aikens, in 1982. She was known to be a beautiful and feisty young woman who loved to dance the Lindy, play pinochle and enjoyed many restaurants and plays in Manhattan. She married her handsome husband on June 20, 1948 in a fairy tale wedding at Abysinnian Baptist Church where she and John were united in marriage by Rev. Adam Clayton Powell, Sr. Together John and Lenice raised two children in love and faith:  a daughter, Jonnise Conanan (Chris) and a son, Gill Marsh. She is survived by her children, grandchildren (Courtney Shields (Kevin), Chris John Conanan (Erin), Chelsea Conanan, and Alexandra Marsh), one great grandchild (Matthew Shields) and many nephews, nieces, and cousins.   After her retirement, Lenice moved from the White Plains, New York area to Portsmouth, Virginia where she became a member of Grove Baptist Church. As a widow she moved to Spotsylvania, Virginia to be closer to her growing family of grandchildren. She loved to garden, knit, crochet and drive her 1993 Cadillac. Her grandchildren loved her apple and sweet potato pies.   Lenice kept in touch with those friends she made as a young wife and gathered new friends, both young and old, like flowers in her garden. She nourished them with love and laughter. Driving through her 97th year, she was proud of her independence and was quick to recognize a birthday, anniversary or other special day with a card. She's left all of us with enduring memories of her acts of kindness and thoughtfulness.  A lady to the very end, Lenice loved her lipstick and manicures; she never wanted to tell her age and always appreciated a good-looking young man (often making her doctors blush with her compliments). She moved to the Charlotte NC area in March 2017, where she was lovingly cared for by her daughter, Jonnise, and later by Miquel and Karen at Arcadia Home Care in Waxhaw, NC (which her family nicknamed her “sorority house”), where she quickly made friends with the five other ladies there. Lenice, we will miss your physical presence, but will rejoice and trust you to the loving care of our Lord for a reward much deserved for a life well lived.   In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (msaa@mymsaa.org)A celebration of life will be held noon Thursday, July 13, 2017 at Melvin J. Blowe Chapel she will be laid to rest in Carver Memorial Cemetery. Professional services with dignity have been entrusted to Crocker Funeral Home, Inc.   To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Lenice Marsh, please visit our flower store.