Death is not extinguishing the light; it is only putting out the lamp because the dawn has come....
-Rabindranath Tagore
Obituary
Marsha Ann Hughes, 77, died August 11, 2024 at the Via Elegante assisted care center in Tucson, Arizona. She had previously resided with her loving and devoted partner Paul Simpson at his Salerno Drive home in Tucson. Marsha will always be remembered as a wonderful friend, mother and grandmother who unconditionally loved her children and supported them through the many highs and difficulties of their own lives.
Marsha was born on August 22, 1946, in Fort Wayne, Indiana, to her parents Norma Savage and Robert Robinson. While her parents had 8 siblings each, she was their only child. Growing up, Marsha's parents relied on her a great deal to help them and she had few friends or others her own age to associate with, but she was always a hard worker who learned early the value of hard work and responsibility, even helping them build multiple rental cottages on their lake property at age 12. Marsha originally wanted to be a beautician but due to allergies she could not. While in high school she worked in a clothing store and later attended some business college. On April 10, 1965, Marsha wed Daniel P. Hughes whom she had known in high school and together they had two children, Michelle and Jonathan. In 1970 the young couple moved to Miami, Florida where she did secretarial work before they divorced and Marsha returned with her children to Fort Wayne in 1976. Now a single mom, Marsha and her kids spent a few years in her parent’s house until she acquired an apartment and worked at the Park Center Mental Health Services facility in Fort Wayne for 32 years as an administrative assistant. Following retirement and her mother's death, she sold their shared house and lived with her daughter Michelle and her husband in North Carolina, where she opened a small sewing/crafts shop and mostly associated with other lady shop owners of her own age. Marsha fell ill with cancer starting in 2017, and although it continually progressed she never let it slow her down or hamper her spirit. She spent her final years with her loving partner Paul with whom she traveled and enjoyed life together.
Marsha is survived by her son Jonathan (Vivian) Hughes, daughter Michelle (Henry) Ribas, and grandchildren Zachary, Kaylee, and Alyssa.
While young, Marsha enjoyed ice skating, water-skiing, and boating. She always loved sewing, painting, and reading. Most of all she loved laughing, always appreciating good jokes and conversation. An animal lover, she almost always had pets, especially dogs. She had the heart of an explorer, although she had few opportunities to do so, always eager to see someplace new even if it was just a trip down a country road to see where it went. She could make friends in an instant and took time to learn about people and their families in the places she lived, and hear about their concerns and interests.
Marsha was never rich, never had a nice car or a lot of fine things. She was brought up in a frugal home with a matching lifestyle, but she never failed to give generously of what she had to those that needed it, especially when it came to her family. She was always thoughtful and considerate. She tried hard to instill good character qualities in her children, especially morals and responsibility, and those qualities have been passed down to her grandchildren whom she loved deeply.
Marsha's spirit will endure and no doubt continue to spread her love to realms beyond and exist in peace and happiness. She was a lover of life in all its many forms, and will always be so.
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