Marie Fallon Gavula, age 83, a resident of Berwyn, Pa., passed away on Thursday, Sept. 28. Marie was a longtime resident of Berwyn and Malvern, Pa. and Darien.
Marie Gavula, 83, passed away on Sept. 28. Visiting hours are on Oct. 8 and before her funeral Mass on Oct. 9.
Marie was born in Philadelphia in 1934 to Catherine and Thomas Fallon, and graduated from West Catholic Girls High School in Philadelphia.
She attended Misericordia Hospital School of Nursing, now Mercy Hospital, and earned her B.A. from West Chester University. Marie attended Yale School of Medicine to earn a master’s degree in public health administration from Yale University.
She worked in the intensive care unit at Misericordia Hospital and later worked at the Visiting Nurse Services of New Canaan. Marie then took a position as supervisor with the Public Health Department for the City of Stamford, later teaching public health nursing at Neumann University in Aston, Pa.
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— an obituary from Donahue Funeral Home
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Marie began a second career with her husband, Joe Gavula, when they moved from Darien to their native Philadelphia area, settling in Malvern. There they opened a chain of Hallmark Card stores extending from Delaware County to Western Pennsylvania. Marie was an owner and full partner in the corporation.
She was very active at her Yale alma mater as an alumni interviewer for 20 years, meeting student applicants in the Philadelphia area. Marie and her husband Joe traveled the world visiting six continents. She loved spending the summer in Avalon, N.J., where Joe and Marie enjoyed being members of the Avalon Yacht Club and spending time with family.
Marie is survived by her husband Joe Gavula of Berwyn; son Tom Gavula (Lee) from Villanova, Pa.; daughter Jeanne Leatherwood (Donald, II, M.D.) of Fort Washington, Pa. and daughter Barbara Alvarez of Truckee, Ca and sister Kay Chermol (Edward, DDS) of Berwyn, Pa.
Marie is survived by seven grandchildren, Taylor and Sam Gavula; Donald, Brett and Douglas Leatherwood, Alexandra and Pilar Alvarez.
Marie’s elegance and intelligence and her signature red hair will be dearly missed by all who loved her.
Relatives and friends are invited to her visitation from 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 8, 2017 at The Donohue Funeral Home, 366 W. Lancaster Ave., Wayne, PA 19087, 610-989-9600, and 10 to 11 a.m. Monday Oct. 9, 2017 at St. Norbert’s Church, 50 Leopard Road, Paoli, PA 19301, followed by her Funeral Mass at 11 a.m. Interment is private.
Online condolences can be made at the funeral home website.