Marion Virginia Taylor Thibodeau was born to Harry and Mable Taylor on April 23, 1924, in Boise, ID. She died on February 11, 2024, at Valley Comfort in Modesto, a dementia facility where she had lived for the past year.
Marion’s siblings were Harry J. Taylor Jr. and George Taylor. After the children were born, Marion’s family moved to Twin Falls, ID. Marion attended Twin Falls High School, graduating in the class of 1942. Following high school, Marion entered Children’s Hospital School of Nursing in San Francisco and graduated as a registered nurse. During her nursing school years, she served as a Cadet Nurse to aid in the WWII efforts. It was also during this time that her parents moved to California, settling in Manteca where they built the Taylor Floral Flower Shop. After graduation, Marion worked as a registered nurse for a pediatrician in San Francisco. Weekends would be visits to her parent’s home in Manteca. Marion had an apartment in the building which is now the Homeless Shelter on Yosemite Ave. It was during these visits that she met her future husband, Lee “Buzz” Thibodeau who was stationed at Sharp Army Depot, and had an apartment in the same complex. When Buzz left the military, they eloped to Virginia City Nevada and married in 1947. Buzz began working for the Department of Defense in Alameda, CA. Their first home was an apartment in San Francisco where they had three children. In 1951, the family purchased a home nearer to work in Alameda where they would reside until a move to Manteca in 1966. At that time, they purchased the Taylor Floral Flower Shop which they ran until 1973.
Marion paused her career in nursing, electing to remain home raising her three children. She was active in her children’s lives, serving as a Camp Fire Leader for 11 years for both of her daughters. She went on many field trips, camp outs, and helped her group sell Camp Fire Mints. All of her group members always sold enough candy to earn camper ships to a 10-day resident camp in Nevada City, CA, during the first weekend of the candy sale! She was a parent participant in school activities, attending most student productions and sporting events through college years when Michael participated in Judo at the collegiate level. She made clothing for her children and often cut their hair, especially Michael’s on a weekly basis!
In 1958, an episode of Tuberculosis hospitalized Marion for almost an entire year. Her children moved from Alameda to Manteca living with their grandparents for 2 years. Marion made a full recovery. During the years of flower shop ownership, Marion also raised several litters of Airedale Terriers, trained dogs, and even showed one at the Cow Palace in the National Dog Show. Dogs were always her favorites. In 1966 Marion became a member of the Manteca Soroptimist even serving as President and remained as a member until her death. For many of her Soroptimist years, Marion chose to be the advisor to the Soroptimist Venture Club providing support and guidance to young women in business. Marion was always interested in supporting youth whether it was friends of her children, Venture Club, or Camp Fire Girls. She actively supported student counseling in Manteca Unified School District. She was a proponent for Soroptimist’s Gifts of Love and Life, providing donations to the MUSD school district to support counseling services Marion was very aware of the many stressors on students and youth today.
Following flower shop retirement, Marion decided to actively return to nursing. Due to the long absence from nursing practice, she arranged with Delta Junior College Nursing Program to audit all the nursing classes for a full two years. From there she worked as a registered nurse for Manteca Medical Group, Dr. Glen Brown, Dr. Karl Wolf, Dr. Anil Sain, and Dr. George Scott. She loved working there! Upon retirement, she was presented a book of baby pictures of babies birthed while working with Dr. Scott! It was a treasure. Marion also worked as a Hospice Nurse with the Hospice of San Joaquin for number of years, making many close friends of team and family members some who continued to visit.
Marion loved to travel. In the early years, Marion and her mother would annually take her children on many memorable summer trips, Disneyland in 1955 where she would excitedly take movie pictures of Walt Disney speaking, Yellowstone National Park to see bears, Idaho to see relatives, and Montana to see grandparents and friends. At times, the family would accompany Buzz to Montana during the winter months where he would hunt from arrival to departure. Marion hated snow but Buzz loved to hunt! Marion traveled extensively with her mother to Europe, the East Coast, Hawaii, and other scenic places. With Leslie and Leslie’s college friends, she attended weekend getaways to Sun River OR, where they had great times. To this day one of Leslie’s friends has written to Marion weekly, thank you Helen!
Although all children were important to her, she loved her children and grandchildren, supporting them through letters, activities, attendance at special occasions, special gifts, and memories. Marion also enjoyed the continued friendship of her former Camp Fire Girls, Venture Club contacts, work friends, her children’s friends, and friends from her nursing school days that she tried to see annually. She remained active in her nursing and high school alumni associations until they disbanded in the past few years as membership diminished. Her warmth, caring and sense of humor brought comfort to many. In retirement Marion and Buzz moved to Ripon where they resided until their deaths.
Predeceasing Marion were husband, Buzz Thibodeau, parents and siblings. Survivors include her children, Caroline Thibodeau (Tom Oliver), Michael Thibodeau (Michele Thibodeau), and Leslie Halseth (Don Halseth), grandchildren Benjamin Halseth, Jenna Halseth (Nima Jalali), and Michael Oliver (Megan Oliver), great-grandchildren, Alyssa Oliver, Grayson Oliver, and Peyton Oliver, nephews, Paul Taylor (Claudia), Alan Taylor (Angela), and Margaret Lunnum (Dwayne).
P.L. Fry and Son is honored to be serving the Thibodeau family. For direct condolences to the family visit www.plfryandson.com
Manteca (Calif.) Bulletin
Saturday, February 24, 2024
