Marian Towers Kelso

1925 - 2023

Marian Towers Kelso, 97, of Blacksburg, Virginia, passed away peacefully on Saturday, May 13, 2023 after a brief illness.

Born on August 26, 1925, in Boicourt, Kansas, the daughter of Charles and Iva Towers, Marian was raised on a dairy farm in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, during the Great Depression. The farm did not have running water or electricity, but at least she could catch a ride on the farm's tractor to a one-room schoolhouse with her older brother and sister each day! It was a tough upbringing but they always had food, and it was likely that these early experiences helped her become the person she was known to be. Marian was a woman who delighted in relationships and conversations, who noticed and treasured the smallest things in daily life, and who selflessly shared her kindness, joy, and time with others.

After graduating from high school Marian attended Iowa State and Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Marian met her future husband John on a blind date just after he had returned home from being overseas during WW2. They were married in 1948 and lived in Iowa City while John was getting his BA & MA degrees from the University of Iowa. Marion suspended her college studies and taught kindergarten and primary school to support the newly wed couple.

In 1951, after her husband, John, graduated they moved from Iowa to Alexandria, Virginia, where he got an offer to work for the Department of Navy. Though neither of them had ever been east of the Mississippi, they thought they'd give the east coast a trial run knowing they could move right back to Iowa if they didn't like it. It turned out they loved Alexandria and stayed there for the next 60 years, and John went on to have a very successful career with the Public Health Service and the Department of Health, Education & Welfare. In 1953 they had one son, John.

Marian continued to teach kindergarten while raising John and became heavily involved in volunteer opportunities at Fairlington Methodist Church and the Alexandria Hospital, which eventually led to her getting a job at the hospital as the Director of Volunteers, a position she held for 25 years.

Marian retired from her job at the hospital in the early 1990's when her husband John retired, which freed her up for more volunteer activities.

In 1994 their son John, and his wife, Andrea, moved to Blacksburg, Virginia, where John had started a job at Virginia Tech. Marian and her husband, John, made plans to move to Blacksburg as they loved its friendly small town feeling whenever they visited.

In 2010 her husband John passed away, and in 2011 Marian decided to make the move to Warm Hearth Village in Blacksburg, Virginia, to be near John and Andrea. She quickly resumed her active schedule including volunteering at the LewisGale Montgomery Hospital where she was Volunteer of the Year 2012, the Blacksburg United Methodist Church, RSVP, the Interfaith Food Pantry, and loved to read books during story time with the children at Margaret Beeks Elementary School. She taught Vacation Bible School for 65 years and Sunday school for 70 years. Marian truly believed in a life of service to others, and turned down few opportunities to become involved with the things that mattered to her.

Out of all of her service, one of Marian's true joys was playing a very endearing Mrs. Claus, and she could make even the biggest skeptic believe in Santa. It was a role she proudly carried with her from Alexandria to Blacksburg, and she played Mrs. Claus for the last time at the Blacksburg Christmas tree lighting and parade in 2022.

Marian is survived by her son John Towers Kelso and his wife Andrea Rilley Kelso, of Blacksburg, and numerous great and great-great nieces and nephews of whom she was very proud.

Marian's final act of generosity was to donate her body to the Virginia State Anatomical Program. Her ashes will be interred in Lone Tree, Iowa, next to her husband John.

A memorial service will be held in Marian's honor on Saturday, May 27 at 10:00 AM, followed by a reception and sharing of memories of a life well lived, from around 10:30 AM until noon-all at the Warm Hearth Village Center, 2387 Warm Hearth Dr, Blacksburg, Virginia.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the Warm Hearth Foundation, 2607 Warm Hearth Dr, suite 100, Blacksburg, VA 24060