Marcia K. Applegate

1932 - 2016

Applegate Marcia K. Applegate, age 84, of Worthington and formerly of Chicago, IL and Asheville, NC, died early Sunday, September 18, 2016 in Columbus, Ohio. Marcia was born May 13, 1932 in Cleveland, Ohio to the late Karl Shimansky and Bernice Dewey Price Shimansky. Marcia is survived by children, Thomas (Linda) Applegate, Nancy (Doug) Rock, Jean Kannan, Kay Fyfe and Andrea (Larry Smith) Applegate; as well as many nephews, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She is preceded in death by husbands James A. Applegate and Arthur Koppenhafer, son Kym A. Koppenhafer, grandson Jeff Applegate, brother Kim Shimansky and sister Betty (John) Trinter. Marcia graduated from Margaretta High School in Castalia, Ohio and, as a student at The Ohio State University, studied music. Marcia was a professional in the field of corporate communications, starting her career at Blue Cross Blue Shield in Worthington, Ohio and retiring from PricewaterhouseCoopers in Chicago, Illinois. After she retired, Marcia moved with her husband to Asheville, North Carolina. Marcia was active in her retirement. Marcia served on various boards and committees. For many years, she was the president of the Biltmore Commons homeowners association. She was trained as a Stephen Minister and was a long-time "spiritual care-giver" to members of Central United Methodist Church. She was an occasional instructor at AshevilleBuncombe Technical Community College. She wrote a regular column that appeared for many years on the editorial page of the Asheville Citizen-Times. Though she never completed it, she spent long hours crafting the novel loosely based on my father's experiences stationed in Italy during World War II. In addition to being a writer, Marcia was a voracious reader. She routinely had four or five books going at one time. Her favorite genre by far was the mystery novel. She played the piano, and she loved classical, Big Band and "easy listening" music. She loved to travel, and she and her husband had well-worn passports. Dining out, especially at fine restaurants, was a favorite pastime. Marcia was an "Italophile." In Chicago, she and her husband joined a group to learn conversational Italian and then took an epic 3-week trip driving through Italy. She learned ballroom dancing and joined a club where she and her husband would regularly dance the night away. After their health began to deteriorate, she moved back to Columbus with James in August 2015. They moved to Creekside, which they loved. After James passed in October, Marcia moved to Sunrise of Bexley, which she loved. She had genuine affection for all those who cared for her (and her husband) in Asheville, and at both Creekside and Sunrise. Her family expresses its deep gratitude to those care-givers as well. The family will receive friends from 4-8 p.m. Thursday, September 22, 2016 at RUTHERFORD-CORBIN FUNERAL HOME 515 High Street, Worthington. A joint burial is expected to take place Sunday, October 2 at Oakland Cemetery in Sandusky, Ohio. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to: Hospice Services at Methodist Eldercare, 124 B Dorchester Sq., Suite 200, Westerville, OH 43081.