Marnie Curtis, 53 of Lusby, Maryland, passed away on January 16, 2023, surrounded by loved ones at the family home in Lusby.  Marnie was born October 1969 in Nevada to John P. Abbett and Carla M. (Torgersen) Novess.

Marnie, the youngest of three girls, was the daughter of a National Park Service ranger.  Marnie grew up in and around national parks in Nevada, California, Utah, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Michigan.  Marnie Graduated from Glen Lake High School in Benzie County, Michigan, in 1987 and moved to Utah.  Marnie, who subscribed to the mantra “the road less taken”, spent her twenties dabbling in different occupations, varying from being a certified forklift operator in a clothing warehouse to “the Avon Lady”.

In 1993 Marnie bought a dilapidated house in Salt Lake City and spent a year making repairs on her own, hanging drywall, installing/replacing fixtures… whatever was needed, and clearing an alarming number of small animal bones from the crawlspace.  Eventually Marnie packed up her small pick-up truck and her neurotic dog (Auggie) and explored north up the western coast of the US and into Canada, camping and experiencing the joys of tire maintenance on the open road.  In the late nineties Marnie attended school and became a licensed massage therapist, practicing bizarre spa foil wraps on visiting sisters who came to town.

In April 2000, Marnie married her soul mate, Shane, in Salt Lake City.  Marnie and Shane subsequently had their marriage sealed in the Manti Temple in May of 2001.  On September 10, 2001, Marnie and Shane became proud parents of a daughter, Andi May, eventually relocating to Durango, Colorado.  In 2003 Shane enlisted in the U.S. Navy and the family was stationed in Norfolk, VA and then Misawa Japan and were living 200+ miles north of the epicenter of the March 2011 earthquake and subsequent tsunami. The family returned home to the US in 2012, though to the family, Misawa, always felt like home.

In 2017, shortly after relocating to Lusby, MD, Marnie was diagnosed with Stage 4 colorectal cancer.  Marnie allowed no time for self-pity, soldiering through countless surgeries, procedures and chemo treatments vowing to see her daughter to adulthood.  Marnie continued looking to the future even in her final days.  Marnie was strong-willed (some might say stubborn), had a bawdy sense of humor and loved laughing.  One of Marnie’s most notable qualities was the number of power tools she owned and her ability to use them.

Her father, John, preceded Marnie in death in January 2018.  Marnie will remain in the hearts and minds of Shane, Andi, her mother Carla (Mormor); Tova (Joe); May (Greg); numerous aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins; and many, many friends.  She will be missed by everyone who knew and loved her.

A Celebration of Life for Marnie is planned for late May or early June 2023.