Marjorie Walsh Kristen

Celebrating the Life of Marjorie Walsh Kristen



It is with both sadness and grateful hearts that we share the news that Marjorie Walsh Kristen - aka, "Mom" to 5 children, "Grandma" to 14 grandchildren, "Gigi" to 12 great grandchildren and "Marj" to the world at large - traded her earthly seat in Ashburn, VA for a place in heaven on August 9, 2025, at the remarkable age of 95. Sadness, as she will be dearly missed. Grateful hearts due to so much gratitude for her impact in our lives - and that we know she's now with God and a large committee of family and friends who preceded her. We're fairly certain that she's already organizing the angels, correcting their grammar and probably registering for an advanced class taught by St Peter in the evenings.

Born April 29, 1930, in Union, NJ, to William and Mildred (Precheur) Walsh, Marj was the youngest of three children - and maybe the most electrifying because after her birth, her home was struck by lightning twice! That may explain her occasional flashes of righteous indignation. On top of that, she skipped two grades in elementary school, which feels a bit akin to "academic lightning". The latter achievement was an early indicator of her lifelong passion for education.

After graduating from New Jersey State Teachers College (now Kean University) and marrying Robert Kristen shortly thereafter, she jumped headfirst into teaching and raising a family. She began unwittingly to chart her own course always, as she combined a full-time career as a public-school teacher with raising five children. Having four children in less than five years while working is a testament to Marj's time management skills. She tackled work-life balance before the term was part of the cultural vernacular and long before anyone put it on a TED Talk slide.

Her goal, though, was never to blaze a trail - it was simply to support her family and assure that her children had access to opportunities and education that she did not. She strove to live a purposeful life, focused on family and work and community. In conjunction with her busy career and continuous pursuit of advanced degrees, she tirelessly supported her children's activities as they grew, like organizing her children's swimming clubs, sewing matching outfits for her girls each season each year, chauffeuring her kids to sports, music and arts, and volunteering as a leader with both Girl Scout troops and 4H clubs.

Education wasn't just her job - it was her calling. She inspired a love of reading in her children and countless students. She championed teaching methods tailored to different learning styles and was an early advocate for special education. Along the way, she collected two master's degrees and was just a thesis shy of a doctorate. She ultimately became a Learning Disabilities Specialist for the bulk of her career, years before others fully understood the need.

When she finally retired from teaching, she didn't retire from doing. After spending most of her life in New Jersey, Marj retired to Pennsylvania then Florida, where she enthusiastically volunteered as much as possible. She ushered at a playhouse, prepared taxes for seniors, taught championship level bridge and served as a citizen police officer - an activity well suited to a righteous streak that made her a stickler for "no parking in handicapped spaces unless you're handicapped." It turns out that yes, she ticketed many a driver for parking in handicapped spaces without a permit to do so. And no, she never lost a debate about it.

For the last 15 years of her extraordinary life, she lived at Ashby Ponds Senior Living Community in Ashburn, VA, close to two daughters. While there, she plugged into active engagement, healthy living and vigorous exercise. Marj was fiercely proud of her Irish heritage and was a firm believer in hard work. She was a walking example of how to live with purpose and commitment.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, and her siblings Mildred Walsh Klug and William Walsh Jr. She is survived by her five children - Bob Kristen Jr. (Beth), Pat Kristen (Paul Amato), Carol Byrne (Bill), Bev Thorne (Jeff), and Connie Dovel (Jason). She is also survived by her 14 grandchildren: Meredith Pecora, Monica Kristen, Alexis Griffin, Stephen Froberg, Andrew Froberg, Kayley Cerney, William Byrne, JT Byrne, Brian Thorne, Betsy Thorne, Mike Thorne, Zachary Dovel, Zane Dovel, and Kristen Dovel. In addition, she leaves behind 12 great grandchildren: Lydon Pecora, Gwen Pecora, Ivy Griffin, Makayla Froberg, Bryan Froberg, Mekell Elliott, Hunter Froberg, Holli Froberg, Chase Cerney, Sawyer Cerney, Madeline Thorne and Luke Thorne. We hope that each of them inherited at least a touch of her spunky determination. She also leaves behind a host of nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews.

In lieu of flowers, and in keeping with her commitment to public education, please consider a donation in Marj's name to the Loudoun Education Foundation at https://www.loudouneducationfoundation.org/. All who are able are warmly invited to join a celebration of Marj's life on Saturday, September 27, 2025, at 10:00 am at Ashby Pond's Farmwell Hall, 44734 Audubon Square, Ashburn, VA. We will celebrate all that she was in her 95 years of living! There will be stories, for sure. There will be laughter. And there may even be matching outfits on the girls.