Marion Hanes Rutsch

1959 - 2022

Marion Hanes Rutsch
July 29, 1959 - May 6, 2022
Chevy Chase, Maryland - Marion Hanes Rutsch left this world on Friday, May 6th, 2022. We will remember her bright, kind eyes, her thoughtfulness, her love of singing, and her passion for the power of the written word. She was 62.
Born in Charlotte, NC on July 29th, 1959, Marion spent much of her early childhood outside, gardening with her father or climbing trees. She played field hockey and softball at the Charlotte Country Day School, where her friends called her "spider" because of her long limbs and awkward stride. Marion loved the beach, starting with long summers at Sea Island, GA with her parents, sisters and cousins, and extending to trips to Bald Head Island, NC with her husband and children. She was an avid shell collector and sandcastle builder.
Marion attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she discovered she wanted to be a librarian. She earned a B.A. in Intermediate Education with a concentration in English, and then completed her Master's in Library Sciences, also at Chapel Hill. Marion's beloved cousin and mentor Dudley Carlson helped connect her to her first library job, at the Hunt's Point branch of New York Public Library in the Bronx. She touched the lives of many young people, who called her "Library Lady."
A few months after moving to New York, Marion met her husband, Bob Rutsch. A stroll across the Brooklyn Bridge was the beginning of a magical courtship, where Marion learned to sail and ski, and the two sampled New York's finest dining…on a budget. They married on November 5th, 1988 at Christ Church in Charlotte, NC, and spent their honeymoon on safari in Kenya. When they discovered they were expecting their first child, they moved to the Washington, D.C. area to be closer to family. The two built an extensive garden at their first home in Silver Spring, with a large vegetable patch and flower beds lining the fence.
Marion continued her work as a librarian in the D.C. area, developing storytime curricula for local public libraries and schools to encourage early childhood literacy. Marion became the school librarian at Our Lady of Lourdes in Bethesda, where she worked from 1998 until 2003, retiring when she learned she was expecting her second child. She also served on many prestigious committees for children's book awards, including the Caldecott Medal 1994 and 2014 (Chair), the Newbery Medal in 1995, and Notable Children's Books in 2002, 2003 and 2004 (Chair). She served on the board of Noyes Library for Young Children in Kensington from 2014 until her death.
When she wasn't reading, Marion loved to sing, make art, or try new recipes with her family. She was an excellent cook. In New York, she brought her guitar to sing during storytime at each library where she worked. When she moved, she joined the WashingTones, a singing group through the Junior League that performed at local nursing homes. On any road trip, she would request a full listen of at least one Nanci Griffith album, and sing along at the top of her lungs. She also loved to paint with watercolors. Marion was a member of the Acorn Garden Club and the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America, North Carolina.
Marion leaves her husband, Bob, and her two children, Poncie and Henry. A celebration of Marion's life will be held on May 17th at 1pm at Christ Church Kensington. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a gift to the The Noyes Children's Library Foundation, noyeslibraryfoundation.org/donate or P.O. Box 31, Kensington, MD 20895 or the Sally Sasz '17 Memorial Scholarship Endowed Fund at Charlotte Country Day School, 1440 Carmel Rd, Charlotte NC 28226.