Marjorie "Margie" M. (Miller) Vogel

Marjorie Miller Vogel
March 11, 1924 – August 13, 2023

Marjorie Miller Vogel, of Newtown Borough, Bucks County, PA, was a lifelong learner, lover of a great story and writer of quite a few. She took courses in writing from Carlow College (now Carlow University) and Delaware Valley University, and left us with a wealth of written gems about her life. Marjorie was an avid reader (biographies were her favorite) and a history buff, needing to stop and read any and every roadside historical marker.  She was easy to talk with and enjoyed conversations with family, friends, or anyone she met.  One of her favorite things to do was to “just sit and talk”.  She was also an adventurous spirit.  In her 99 years, she became a seasoned camper, a good hiker, water skier, snow skier and was even convinced to try wasabi ice cream, although it would not be listed among her favorites. A country girl at heart, she was happy with any meal that contained mashed potatoes or fresh green beans.  She loved music and loved to play the piano.  She enjoyed classical music, choral music, and folk music or any music that wasn’t “too loud”, but most of all, she loved her family dearly.

Marjorie Miller Vogel, formerly of Pittsburgh, PA was born March 11, 1924 in Greensburg, PA. She was the daughter of the late John Streamer Miller and the late Rhoda Leota Courtney Miller. She was preceded in death by her loving husband Kenneth Henry Vogel, PhD (1925-1994) of Lakewood Ohio. She is survived by her four sons and their wives: Mark K. Vogel (Colleen Bird Vogel) of Edmonton, Alberta Canada, Keith L. Vogel (Kathleen Chaplin Vogel) of Houston, TX, Kirk J. Vogel (Susan Kay Spangsberg Vogel) and Timothy C. Vogel (Jill Vaughan Vogel) of Langhorne, PA. Marjorie is also survived by her seven grandchildren: Erika Vogel (Nick Foudi), Lisa Lindquist (Scott Lindquist), Andrea Vogel, Erin Vogel (Chris Hesser), Kayley Kutcher (Austin Kutcher),  Matthew Vogel and Benjamin Vogel.  Marjorie is also survived by two great-grandchildren: Fiona Suzanne Foudi and Max Jacob Foudi and numerous nieces and nephews.
Marjorie graduated from Jeanette High School in 1941. To be accepted into nursing school (in 1941) you had to be 18 years old, but Marjorie’s mother Rhoda Miller met with the Director of Nursing, showed Marjorie’s high school grades to the director and convinced her to allow Marjorie to start at age 17. Marjorie completed Nursing School in three years and graduated from Westmoreland School of Nursing in the Fall of 1944.  She had to take a two-day test in Pittsburgh and, after passing, she had the designation of Registered Nurse. She entered the University of Pittsburgh but gave up her scholarship after one semester to answer the call for nurses in WW II. Marjorie had Basic Training at Camp Lee, Virginia and then went to New York Harbor to board the USS Charles Stafford with 578 nurses. The ship travelled through the Panama Canal, then off to Pearl Harbor and finally the voyage ended where she was stationed in the Philippine Islands. Marjorie served in the United States Army Nurse Corp as a Second lieutenant from 1945-1946. She was stationed there in preparation for the expected casualties of the Japanese island invasion which did not happen due to the Japanese surrender. When the war was over in 1945 Marjorie only had 6 points accrued in the Army, so she had to wait 10 months before she could go home. Marjorie returned to San Francisco on a cargo plane, then took a train across the country to her home in Greensburg, PA on Lincoln Highway (Rt 30). On her return, she was stationed at Valley Forge Military Hospital in Phoenixville, PA to care for blind soldiers. She then returned to university and received her BSN in Nursing from The University of Pittsburgh in 1948. While at the University of Pittsburgh she met the love of her life Kenneth Henry Vogel when he offered to tutor her in chemistry after meeting at a church picnic. After university she moved to Nashville, TN to work at Vanderbilt University Hospital for one year.  Next, she moved back and worked at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. On December 14, 1949 Marjorie and Ken married. Together they lived in Oak Ridge, TN, Deep River Ontario, Canada, Idaho Falls, ID and Pittsburgh, PA where they raised four sons.  
While raising a family she also volunteered with PCIV, Pittsburgh Council for International Visitors. As a volunteer, she opened her home to visiting international professors and their families and helped them find apartments and settle into life in a new country. The Vogel family hosted visitors in their home from Finland, Thailand, India, Kenya, Japan, Egypt, Switzerland, France, Wales and Sierra Leone. In 1973 Marjorie took a nursing recertification course and returned to nursing at St. Joseph Hospital and Jefferson Hospital. Marjorie retired from nursing in 1985. Marjorie and Ken traveled all over the US and Europe visiting friends and family.  In 1994 Marjorie lost her husband and life-long partner Ken to cancer, but she continued to travel and bring joy to all of her family.
In 2003 Marjorie continued her life adventure by moving to Holland, PA where life revolved around being with family and participating in the lives of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  She enjoyed bus trips with the senior center and having lunch with friends.  In 2018 she moved to an assisted living facility but remained clear headed until the end.  She was insistent that she take responsibility for her own medication all the way until the day she died.  Marjorie was a hope-filled soul who would often say, “let’s look on the bright side”.  Although we miss her dearly, on the bright side, we are glad that she has met her Lord and that she is reunited with her husband and heavenly family.

The Family wishes to thank the Bash-Neid-Jobe Funeral Home, Delmont, PA, for hosting the funeral service SATURDAY, August 26, 10:00 a.m. followed by interment with military honors at Twin Valley Memorial Park at 11 am.

Link to Bucks County Nurses Honor Guard https://www.facebook.com/groups/193571964883679/  

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