Marjorie Ellen Kidd Appleby, formerly of Norwalk, Connecticut, died on April 13th at the Broadmead retirement community in Cockeysville, Maryland. She was 100 years old and had lived at Broadmead for the last ten years.

Born in Utica, Michigan on November 24,1923, Marge was the youngest of six children of William and Junia Kidd. Her father had a thriving vegetable and dairy farm near Detroit. She majored in Home Economics at Ypsilanti State Teachers College (now Eastern Michigan University) during World War Two. It was there that she met her future husband, Dr. Robert E. Appleby (Bob), who was serving in the Army's College Program.

After completing college and marrying, Marge lived in Baltimore while Bob attended medical school and completed his residency at the Johns Hopkins Medical School. Their first two children, Robin and Ellen, were born there. This was followed by a two-year stint in Wichita Falls, Texas, where Bob served as the base pediatrician at Shepherd Air Force Base. When Bob completed his military service, they decided to move to his hometown of Norwalk, Connecticut, where he opened his pediatric practice and they raised Robin, Ellen, and their third child, Carol. Marge and Bob were happily married for 50 years, until he passed away in 1995.

Marge was always supportive of her children's activities, carting them to Boy Scouts, art lessons, and dance classes; attending soccer games, school events, and recitals; and serving as Cranbury Elementary School PTA President. She put her Home Economics training to work sewing clothes for her girls and costumes for Halloween and school plays, and keeping a beautiful home. During her children's high school years she was actively involved with the school's American Field Service Committee, and the Appleby family hosted Suwit, an AFS exchange student from Thailand, for a year.

As an expression of Marge and Bob's ministry of hospitality, the doors of the Appleby home were always open. They frequently hosted church, political, and community gatherings. It was not unusual to find an extra chair at the dinner table as they provided temporary refuge and a sympathetic ear to many of their extended family and friends of their kids, some of whom stayed for weeks or even months.

Norwalk was blessed by 58 years of Marge's volunteer service to her church, the Norwalk United Methodist Church (NUMC, now Cornerstone Community Church), and the broader Norwalk Community. She was active in the Norwalk League of Women Voters for decades and served as its president several times. Once Marge had an "empty nest," she started volunteering one afternoon a week at the Norwalk Hospital Library. This was a bit of a "coming home" for her, as she had worked at the Hopkins Nurses' Library while living in Baltimore.

During her years at NUMC, Marge was the first female Lay Leader of the church, Chair of the Council of Ministries (the church's governing body), and President of NUMC's unit of the United Methodist Women. She was a trained Stephen's Minister (grief counselor) and led a Tuesday morning Bible study group for 11 years. She was a regular volunteer at the semi-annual Rummage Sale, prepared food for the monthly soup kitchen, led the team that prepared lunch for the annual Homefront project, and managed the coffee hour program.

Marge and Bob's involvement with the United Methodist church also extended to India, where they provided the means for the building of 30 one-room churches in villages throughout southern India. On a 1988 trip they were honored guests at many of the churches. They also supported the Ludhiana Christian Medical College, India's leading medical school at that time. For 25 years they served on the Board of Ludhiana CMC, and Marge accompanied her husband to the school in the Punjab several times when he taught there for two-week periods.

Marge helped run the office of the Children's Medical Center storefront clinic her husband started in South Norwalk in 1968, to provide first rate healthcare ($1 per visit) to local children without area doctors. Later, she worked with her husband to open the first Dr. Robert E. Appleby School Based Health Centers in Norwalk's two high schools to provide on-site schoolbased healthcare to adolescents in need. After Dr. Appleby passed away in 1995, Marge continued to work with the Human Services Council to open three more health centers in his name.

Marge lived a century-long life full of love and service. She will be greatly missed. She is survived by her three children – Dr. Robin Appleby (Sue) of Brookfield, CT, Ellen Appleby (Lenny Rexrode) of New York City and East Norwalk, CT, and Carol Appleby-Vanko (David Vanko) of Towson, MD; five grandchildren – Robert Appleby, Diana Appleby, Tyler Appleby (Meghan), Elena Vanko and Alex Vanko (Della), and two great-grandsons – James and Charles Appleby. The family will hold a private Celebration of Life in Norwalk in June.

Contributions in Marge's memory may be made to the Dr. Robert E. Appleby School Based Health Centers (c/o the Human Services Council, 1 Park Street, Norwalk CT 06851) - or - the League of Women Voters of Norwalk (P.O. Box 644, Norwalk CT 06852).