Marcia Chesler, longtime resident of Norfolk and Manhattan, died on Sept. 23 at Hartford Hospital following a severe and unexpected cardiac event. Marcia—known to all as Marcie—was playing a round of golf with friends at the Norfolk Country Club when she fell ill, immediately following what was described as “the drive of her life.” 

A woman of both style and substance, Marcia worked for years as a real estate agent in New York City selling high-end properties (a job she pursued with vigor up until the time of her death). She immersed herself in Manhattan life and was a regular at Broadway shows and museums. She also loved to travel and felt equally at home in Paris, where she made frequent trips with her husband, Peter. In recent years she became increasingly political, going to the Women’s March in January 2017 and numerous protests and marches in NYC.

In Norfolk, Marcia planned frequent dinner parties, was a mainstay on the tennis court and tended to a small but well-manicured garden. A lifelong and passionate reader, she happily volunteered her time to work at the Norfolk Library’s annual book sale—only occasionally stealing away to put aside some of the best children’s titles for her grandkids. There was no role that Marcia relished more than that of grandma. Known to her grandchildren, Georgia, 15, Augie, 12, Wren, 11, and Zoe, 8, as Baba, she doted on them all, whether it be with gifts or favorite desserts. 

Marcia Lee Goldberg was born March 30, 1945, in Philadelphia, Penn. She attended Cheltenham High School and was the first of her family to go to college. At the University of Wisconsin in Madison she received a B.A. in history and met the love of her life, Peter Chesler. The couple was married in New York City in 1969. Peter, who had family ties here, introduced Marcia to Norfolk in 1972, and the couple split their time between the Upper West Side and Norfolk. Going back and forth, Peter and Marcia raised two children. 

Until her untimely death, quarantine life in Norfolk was suiting her well, between seeing a small group of friends for regular walks on Westside Road to playing even more tennis and to spending quality time with her family. 

Along with Peter, Jessica and son-in-law Greg, of Brooklyn and Colebrook, and Jamie and daughter-in-law Sarah, of San Rafael, Calif., Marcia is survived by her sister, Gaye Lee of Philadelphia, and her four grandchildren. Peter and the rest of the family are planning a memorial in Norfolk when the community can gather safely to remember Marcia. Memorial gifts may be given to the Norfolk Library.