Marcella Vansickle

Marcella VanSickle, born October 16, 1963, passed away 2:36 pm on August 23, 2025 at St. Vincent's hospital, Indianapolis. She was 61 years old, not quite 62. She deserved many more years. She was loved by many and will be deeply and sadly missed.

Marcella attended Delphi Community High School, graduating in 1981, and Ball State University, graduating in 1983. She worked at Purdue University for 40 years, serving in the Art Department and the Mitch Daniels School of Business as the Senior Program Coordinator of Ph.D. Studies.

She grew up in Delphi, Indiana, and lived in Lafayette and West Lafayette for many years before moving to Indianapolis. She was active at the Delphi Methodist Church her entire life.

Her favorite author was Danielle Steel. Her favorite musicians were Joan Jett, Journey, and Malachi Jaggers. Her favorite artists were Charles Gick and Lisa Hathaway Hamm. Her best of best friends: Ben Trice, Angie Hoshaw, Kelly Felty and Holly Rankins. Her favorite photographer: Susan Ressler. Her favorite winery was the Buck Creek Winery in Acton, Indiana. Her favorite brewery was the Crasian in Brookston, Indiana. Her favorite drink: the infamous Blue Drink. Her beloved pets: Maggie and Bentley.

She was a fierce fan of Purdue Sports, favoring basketball and football. She was a member of the Delphi Chapter of the Psi Iota Xi sorority.

Marcella enjoyed driving through the countryside, stopping at unusual places: the biggest loaf of bread, the largest ice sculpture in Indiana, the biggest paintbrush, and the largest Van Gogh painting in Kansas. She enjoyed art museums: the Lafayette Art Museum and Newfields. She passionately created diamond art, amassing quite a collection of finished work.

Her favorite TV shows were M*A*S*H, Andy Griffith, The Golden Girls, The Big Bang Theory, and Young Sheldon. She was a fan of Downton Abbey and I Love Lucy. She also liked watching cooking shows, home improvement shows, and reality shows such as The Amazing Race and MasterChef. Her favorite story TV shows were The Young and the Restless and Days of Our Lives. Her favorite actor was Shemar Moore.

Her recent travels were to Denver, Colorado; Baltimore, Maryland; and Las Vegas, Nevada. Past travels include San Francisco, Mexico City, and Jamestown, New York.

She joins her parents, Margaret and Russell Noel VanSickle; her brother and aunt, Gene and Mary VanSickle; and her sister, Linda Kingma. Surviving are niece Gina Noel VanSickle, aunt and uncle Paul and Charlene VanSickle, and cousins Brian and wife Vicky, Kenny, Paula, and Keith.

A Celebration of Marcella will be held at the Delphi Methodist Church, Delphi, Indiana, on Saturday, September 13. Visitation is from 9:00 - 11:00 am with the Celebration beginning at 11:00 am,. She will be interred at the Masonic Cemetery in Delphi with her parents.

Her life could fill a memoir, but to conclude: Marcella was honestly too special for this earth. She gave much joy to many people, certainly to one in particular. She never met a stranger; she was generous with her time and money. She's an angel now. Fly, Sweetheart, Fly. And, may the Lord richly bless you for all eternity.