Marjorie Cornelia (Kittleson) Alexis Obituary (1923

Marjorie Cornelia Kittleson Alexis, 90, of Patterson Heights and formerly the North Hills, passed away peacefully at home on January 13, 2014. Born June 13, 1923, in Altamont, SD. She was the daughter of the late Magda Nelson and Arthur Isaak Kittleson. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 63 years, the Rev. Dr. E. Jerome Alexis, on May 19, 2012. She graduated from high school in Madison, WI in 1940, and took art courses at the University of Wisconsin. Marjorie pursued many and varied interests alongside of raising her family in Ross Twp, PA, before retiring to Patterson Heights. She was a member of Christ's Evangelical Lutheran Church, Beaver Falls. She is survived by her children, Lynn (Jack) Doyle. Rev. Maren Alexis (fiance Joseph Tomkiel), Rev. Lans (Rev Sandra Carlson) Alexis, Joel (Debi) Alexis. Grandchildren: Maureen, Patrick (Kelly) and Kevin Doyle, Lara, Abigail, Sara and Erik Alexis. Sisters: Ruth (Jack), Thea, Carol, Jean, Jan, and Greta, and brother Chester. Brother-in-law Roger Alexis, sisters-in-law Joyce Steiner and Sally Kittleson. In addition to her parents and husband she was preceded in death by her son Neil Martin Alexis, grandson Ian-Leif Plowes, and brother, Ted Kittleson. Her family and friends knew her gifts and talents to be seemingly unlimited. She sang in church choirs and was invited to perform for many groups and events in the Pittsburgh community. She sketched in pen and ink, dabbled in oil and watercolor, and created and demonstrated in many settings the folk arts and crafts of her beloved Scandinavian heritage. This interest also extended to international cooking and dance and musical performances at such events as the Pittsburgh Folk Festival, a favorite activity of the entire family. These varied interests culminated in the design and illustration of the Nationality Rooms Cookbook, sponsored by the Women's International Club of the University of Pittsburgh. Other illustration work she did served the mission of Christian Literacy Associates of Pittsburgh. Jerome and Marjorie were very active in the Nationality Rooms program of the Cathedral of Learning at Pitt. These activities also led her later in life to become a travel agent, which became a welcome part of the couples' retirement life. Through her work she was able to travel with her mother to reunite with family in Denmark, and return with her husband to the Huertgen Forest, Germany, where he had been captured during WWII. Friends will be received Thursday from 2-4 & 6-8PM in the Hill & Kunselman Funeral Home, www.hillandkunselman.com, 3801-4th Avenue, Beaver Falls, PA 15010. Additional visitation will be held in Christ's Evangelical Lutheran Church, 409-11th Street, Beaver Falls from 10:00AM until time of service at 11:00AM, with Pastor Kimberly Rapczak officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be sent to the Women's International Club Scholarship Fund of the University of Pittsburgh, the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, UPMC Montefiore, 4th Floor, Suite 421 200 Lothrop Street, Pittsburgh, 15213, and Christ Lutheran Church, Beaver Falls. Interment will take place at in the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies, on Tuesday January 21, 2014.