Obituary of Marianne Carol Loeser, 74
Marianne Carol Loeser.
In the care of Kuehl-Nicolay Funeral Home
– Marianne Carol Loeser passed away on Sept. 25, 2023. She is survived by her husband Peter, children Shannon Cogan (Jim), Brant King, Stacey Urhammer, and Elise Stokes (David), grandchildren James and Sam Cogan, Gunner and Electra Redd, Julia, Audrey, Catherine, and Ethan Stokes, brother John Schifferle (Kathy), and niece Carla Aoygi. She was predeceased by her parents and niece Abigail Schifferle.
Born to Leo and Dolores Schifferle on March 1, 1949, Marianne spent her childhood in the Bay Area, many years in Mendocino County, and her retirement in Morgan Hill.
Marianne graduated from El Cerrito High School. At Chico State University she earned an undergraduate degree in History, cum laude, as well as elementary and secondary teaching credentials. Marianne was a public school teacher for 25 years, earning her Master of Arts in Teaching degree while teaching full-time.
For most of her teaching career, Marianne taught middle school students. Eventually, she moved to the high school, which had lost its Spanish teacher. Ever the lifelong learner, she dusted off her three years of high school Spanish, attended college courses, and took on the position to ensure Laytonville students had the opportunity to learn another language. She also served as a master teacher and instructor, teaching Leadership in Education courses for graduate students at Dominican University and Sonoma State University for over ten years.
Marianne was proud of helping to defeat an attempted school book banning. Parents in the logging industry tried to remove The Lorax – by Dr. Suess – from the school district reading list for second graders, saying it made their children feel bad about their parents’ profession. Marianne was the school district’s mentor teacher in Literature. She spoke at school board meetings and to national television and print media to take up the cause for academic freedom and open inquiry. She said, “Parents have the right to an opinion. Educators are charged in the state curriculum framework to not shy away from controversial issues and to present different points of view.” The book remained on the reading list.
After many decades of teaching, Pete and Marianne retired to Morgan Hill. In retirement she combined her teaching skills with her loves, serving as a substitute teacher at her grandsons’ elementary school. So long as the grandkids were involved, she could always be counted on for a Nerf gun battle, zip lining, a football game, or building Minecraft worlds.
An avid traveler, Marianne and her mother went to Africa, exploring Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda. She and Pete took many trips internationally, including to Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, Norway, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Austria, Hungary, Germany, Greece, Mexico, and Canada. In later years they toured the United States in their recreational vehicle, meeting up with friends along the way.
Marianne was vibrant and active, and her death left an unfillable void. She will be remembered as a leader and as a kind, curious, and talented woman who was involved in her community and devoted to her family.
The Paso Robles Daily News accepts and publishes local obituaries and death notices free of charge from individuals and local funeral homes. See information and tips here on writing an obituary. Please submit the obituary a few days before services, if possible. To submit an obituary, please email it to skye@accesspublishing.com with “obituary” in the subject line. Please email a photo along with the obituary.
Comments
