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Mariann C. Douglass ~ Carbondale August 29, 2020

Mariann was born August 22,1925, to Welford and Betty Clark in Chicago. She was an only child. She grew up on the south side of Chicago where she graduated from Calumet High School. Following graduation, she earned a two-year degree at Morgan Park Jr. College. When classmates began enlisting in the wartime military, she went to work for The Bell Telephone Company in Chicago. Her childhood sweetheart, Thornton Douglass, enlisted in the Army and was deployed overseas during WWII. They were married in 1945 when Thornton was home on leave. They celebrated 74 years of marriage. 

Thornton and Mariann moved to Champaign, IL, so Thornton could attend the University of Illinois. Mariann was able to get a job transfer with the phone company to the Champaign office. She worked and supported them during the college years until 1949. 

Their daughter, Linda was born in 1949, followed by their daughter Donna in 1952. They were early residents of Park Forest, IL, a post WWII community. In later years, Mariann worked for an orthodontist in Flossmoor, IL. 

After 30 years in Park Forest, Thornton took a pharmaceutical job in Puerto Rico, where they lived for 10 wonderful years before retiring to their farm in Carbondale, IL. 

Mariann was a 76-year member of P.E.O., most recently of Chapter KZ Carbondale. Thornton and Mariann enjoyed their membership in the First Unitarian Fellowship in Carbondale, and the many friends they made there. 

Mariann was preceded in death by husband, Thornton, in April 2020, and their daughter Linda Vogenthaler in 2012. She is survived by her daughter Donna Brandt (David), granddaughters Katie 

Fischer (Jeremy), Kari Firak (John) and great-grandchildren Owen, Etta, Max, and Lola. 

The family would like to thank her caregivers for their loving care. 

Mariann will be buried in Canada alongside Thornton and Linda. There will be a family celebration at a later date. 

In lieu of flowers, donations to Hospice of Southern Illinois would be appreciated. 

Walker Funeral Home & Crematory of Southern Illinois entrusted with arrangements.  

Condolences(3)

  1. Marcy Thomas says

    I miss you already, you were definitely a light in my life, and all the times you were there.. just to listen and give advice when I needed a listening ear, will def leave a mark on my heart.. I am thankful and honored to have been one of your caregivers.. you were very loved by me..Its not goodbye..its see you later..

  2. Rev. Sarah Richards says

    I’m very sorry to learn of Mariann’s death. She will be missed by her many friends at Carbondale Unitarian Fellowship, who knew her and Thornton to be a kind and loving couple. My sympathies to all who knew and loved Mariann, especially her daughter Donna, who has lost both parents during this difficult pandemic. May memories of Mariann’s long and giving life comfort her loved ones.

  3. Heidi Marie Coons says

    My condolences to her family. Blessed Be.

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