Obituary of Marjorie Adair Faulkner (Garrett)

Marjorie Adair Faulkner (Garrett), 93, of Naples, Florida, died September 3, 2024, in hospice care. She was born Oct. 6, 1930, in Uniontown, Pennsylvania to her parents, L. Guy and Ruth Ann Garrett. Marjorie graduated from Buchannon-Upshur High School in 1948, and four years later, earned the first bachelor’s degree in music education ever awarded by West Virginia Wesleyan University. Marjorie continued her higher education and later earned the Degree of Master of Music from Miami University in Ohio. In June 1950, Marjorie was crowned Queen IX of the West Virginia Strawberry Festival and later that year married William Martin Faulkner. The couple were married for 27 years and had one adopted son, William H. Faulkner, age 53, who continues to live and work in Naples today. After earning her master’s degree, Faulkner taught music in the Ohio public school system for many years before being nominated and serving as Superintendent of Music in her school district. Not long after, in the summer of 1971, Marjorie and her husband Bill moved to Naples where he took a job as manager of the Mole Hole gift shoppe on Third Ave. South and she taught music at several elementary, middle and high schools throughout the Collier County area, including Naples High School, Lake Park Elementary, Sea Gate Elementary, Poinciana Elementary and; until she retired in 1995, at Naples Park Elementary School. Her programs are still remembered fondly by students, parents and faculty alike. In retirement, Marjorie lived a quiet life spent mostly walking Naples’ many beautiful beaches, corresponding with friends and relatives from around the country via “snail mail;” and donating most of her retirement funds to countless charities from around the world. Marjorie truly loved Naples and, despite her mid-western roots, was a Floridian through and through! She was preceded in death by her husband, William, who died in Naples on 1/7/77; parents, L. Guy and Ruth Ann Garrett; siblings, Ensign Charles H. Garrett, Robert G. Garrett, Ruth A. Kessler and Mary A. Martin and her nephew Charles H. Garrett. She is survived by her son, William H. Faulkner; his fiancée, Lisa J. Resch; their daughters, Josephine and Tessa; sister-in-law, Rosella Vanderhaak; brother-in-law, Harold L. Martin; nieces, Charlotte Ball, Michelle Trainer, Ginger Cates, and nephews, Robert and Tommy Garrett. She is also survived by 10 great-nieces and nephews … All of whom will miss her profoundly. Also included from the Faulkner family is a heartfelt thanks to special friends Frances Fillipon and Patrician Haynes for all the loving care and companionship they bestowed upon Marjorie for many years and, most importantly, through the end of her life. Interment Wednesday, May 14, 2025, at 10AM at the Heavner Cemetery, Hall Road, Buckhannon, WV.