E. Marsile McCoubrey

E. Marsile McCoubrey, n?e Edna Louise Marsile, died Friday, Nov. 10, 2006, following a series of strokes commencing the previous month of October. Marsile, as she preferred to be addressed, was born Nov. 21, 1921, in Los Angeles, Calif. During her childhood years she lived in Los Angeles and Culver City and attended public schools. Following her graduation from Alexander Hamilton High School in 1939, she studied commercial art with an emphasis on fashion illustration. After completing her practical studies, she was employed as an artist by a major Los Angeles department store. Marsile married Arthur O. McCoubrey on Feb. 6, 1942, and, together with her husband, moved to the suburbs of Pittsburgh, Penn., in 1943. Her children were born in Pittsburgh in 1944, 1947 and 1953. Marsile moved with her family to Massachusetts in 1957, to California in 1967 and to Maryland in 1974. She retired with her husband to Arroyo Grande in 1991. From a very early age, Marsile had a passionate interest in music and the fine arts. During her youthful years, she studied the violoncello intensively and she was the cellist of a string trio with a busy schedule of frequent engagements to provide chamber music. She was also a cellist in a distinguished symphony orchestra organized for accomplished youthful musicians. As an adult, Marsile focused her artistic endowment upon drawing and painting using a wide range of media and addressing a variety of subjects, including social comment, historic treasures and natural beauty. Her artistic work reflects a very high degree of versatility and professionalism. She served as a member of the art faculty of Masconomet Regional High School in Topsfield, Mass., and, for several years, she provided private art lessons to youthful students in her Maryland studio. Marsile inspired many young people with her enthusiasm. In addition to her artistic accomplishments, Marsile was always very motivated toward educational goals with a special emphasis on increasing opportunities for women in our society. She studied at universities in Massachusetts, California and Washington, D.C. In 1973 Marsile was awarded the degree of bachelor of arts cum laude by College of Notre Dame in Belmont, Calif., and in 1977 she was awarded the degree of master of arts in special studies by George Washington University in Washington, D.C.. Marsile is survived by her husband, three children and their families, including six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Lady Family Mortuary 489-4717 Arroyo Grande.