Marie Snyder Cookerly

Marie Snyder Cookerly, beloved wife of the late Ernest S. Cookerly, passed peacefully away at home on the brilliant winter afternoon of February 20, 2015, beside the beautiful Chester River that she revered. She was a loving spouse and a dedicated mother, a tireless homemaker and an elegant lady. She was predeceased by her husband of 56 years, Ernest S. Cookerly, in 2010. Marie was born on June 25, 1926, to Samuel A. and Helen K. Snyder, the youngest of three girls. Raised in Chevy Chase, MD, the family home at the corner of Brookeville Road and Leland Street was initially nestled in a quiet, bucolic setting which was later surrounded by the expanding suburbia. Marie and her sisters were popular, attractive girls, and their father became known among the local suitors vying for their company as “Shotgun Sam.” She graduated from Purdue University and returned home, taking a job as head dietician in one of the five Pentagon cafeterias. Arriving for work early, she often observed a handsome officer in the parking lot walking to work at a brisk pace, and he would nod and say hello as he passed. One morning he walked up to her and introduced himself, the first moments of a love that would last a lifetime. Marie and Ernie were married on June 10, 1954, and moved to Chestertown, MD, shortly thereafter. Life on the Eastern Shore of Maryland represented an adjustment for a girl more used to the bustle of the city. But Chestertown proved an exciting place, a mixed bag of new experiences. In the first few months, Marie experienced Hurricane Hazel, the fireworks plant explosion, wild game dinners and crab feasts. She initially wondered to herself why her husband had chosen to live in such a remote place. She worked as a dietician for Washington College for several years, and was loved by the students and faculty she served. Eventually the couple moved to a new residence in Country Club Estates to start a family, where her children, Richard and Susan, were born. Perhaps the crowning achievement in a life well-lived occurred in 1967, for she had developed aspirations of having a home in the country on the water. One of her favorite stories, which she delighted in recounting, was of her bidding at auction in order to obtain her family home of the past 48 years in Quaker Neck on the Chester. Marie said that several days after she placed the successful bid, she went to the property and sat down by the river, contemplating how, in her words, she “had arrived.” During the years of her children’s youth, she worked to raise money for Kent School at annual Christmas sales which she spearheaded with her dear friends, Peggy Brogan and Suzanne Hogans. She made her home a haven for her family and became more comfortable with the ways of the Eastern Shore. For example, she delighted in catching crabs and took similar delight in the steaming and eating of them. Her family meant everything to her. She was a golfer and an avid bowler for many years, a fixture at the Wednesday coffee break league. She loved entertaining, and her home was the scene of many gatherings. Fun-loving Marie would sometimes disappear, only to reappear in costume to further incite the assemblage. Marie was a cancer survivor, and was very proud of the fact that she was one of the longest known surviving colostomy patients. As always, she was fearless, loving and caring for the needs of others before her own. In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by her parents, her sisters, and her beloved niece, Helen. She is survived by a daughter, Susan M. Cookerly, of Stamford, CT; a son, Richard, of Chestertown, MD, and two grandchildren, Julian and Sage. There will be a graveside service at St. Paul’s Church on Thursday, February 26, 2015, at 11 a.m. A celebration of her life is being planned for a date to be determined. In lieu of flowers, donations are suggested to be made to Compass Regional Hospice, 255 Comet Drive. Centreville, MD 21617.

Marie Snyder Cookerly

June 25, 1926 - February 20, 2015