Remembering Marge Stith
August 2009
Ms. Marjorie “Marge” Stith, 85, Matthews, N.C., died Thursday, July 2, 2009. She was born Aug. 21, 1923, in Fresno, Calif., and spent her formative years in Gadsden, Ala. Ms. Stith earned her B.S. degree from Alabama State Women’s College. She received a master’s degree at Southern Baptist Seminary and was employed by the Alabama State Women’s Missionary Union in Montgomery.
She earned her Ph.D. at Florida State University and then moved to Manhattan, Kan. She retired after 26 years as a professor at Kansas State University, having served there as a professor and department head in early childhood development for a number of years.
She authored a history of Nebraska-Kansas WMU, several children’s books and a college textbook. In addition, she was an accomplished storyteller.
Ms. Stith moved to Charlotte in 1997. She had resided at Plantation Estates in Matthews for several years where she led a Bible study group and was editor of the monthly Plantation Estates Journal.
Ken James, her former pastor, reminisced about her, “It was my privilege to serve as Marge Stith’s pastor for almost 10 years. The news that she had passed away provided, for me, a time of reflection and fond recollections of a very dear person. Two things stand out as I recall the time that I served as her pastor at College Heights Baptist Church in Manhattan. First, she was such a capable person who lived life with a hearty appetite for learning and the application of that learning to relationships. She always made the people she was around feel so special. It was obvious that, with her, it really was all about “you” and not about her.
Secondly, I will always remember Marge as one who was a firm supporter of her pastor. She was one of three who made the trip to New Mexico to explore the possibility of my becoming their pastor. Her personal interest in our children, and the genuineness of her concern immediately captured our hearts. Her support for me and my family never wavered during the years of our service together.
Marge Stith touched many lives in a manner that reflected the spirit of Christ. Her influence upon those lives, including mine, continues to encourage and affirm.“
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