Sally Marquis Cairns passed away on October 5, 2012, after a long and courageous fight against Parkinson’s Disease (PD). Her battle has inspired many.

She was born in Mineola, New York on August 8, 1934 to V.M. “Don” Marquis, and Helen Roper Marquis. She spent her youth in New York, and moved to San Francisco, CA, during World War II due to her father’s assignment for the war effort. While there, she met a group of girls who have remained friends for over 60 years. After earning an Associate’s Degree at the University of California at Berkeley, she graduated from the College of Wooster, where she met the love of her life, Edward Cairns.

Ed’s career led them from Wilmington, DE to Camden, TN, to Antioch, CA, and back to Elkton, where they have lived since 1963. The two of them also travelled to 49 states and many foreign countries.

Sally was a woman of many achievements. When her children were young, she was a room mother and Sunday School Superintendant. She was a charter member of the Cecil County League of Women Voters, and remained active in local politics, including the most recent primary election. She was a member of and chairman of the County Planning Commission for 15 years.

Sally began taking photography classes from Kristi Eisenberg at Cecil College, and later documented the restoration work that she and Ed did in Historic Chesapeake City. Several of these photographs hang in the Cecil County Courthouse; the rest were donated to the Cecil County Historical Society. One of her photographs received awards at a juried exhibit at the local Arts Council.

In 2001, Sally was the recipient of the Trailblazer Award, sponsored by the Cecil County Commission for Women and the Cecil Whig. The award recognized her many contributions to the County.

She is survived by Ed, and by their three children: David, his wife, Marta, and their daughters Nina and Lydia; by Michael and his wife Sally, and their children Andrew and Anna, and by their daughter, Circuit Court Judge Jane Cairns Murray, her husband John, and their children, Branch, Aileen, and her husband Richard.

She was predeceased by her brother David, and her parents. Her survivors, both friends and family, are numerous. Her bridge club of 50 years and her book club were of particular importance to her.

Among her many interests was genealogy, and she had traced her roots to the 1700s in Cecil County. She was a Mayflower descendent and her Roper ancestors were very early settlers in New England.

Sally lived an extraordinary life, devoted to her family, her community, her church, and fighting PD for so many years. Her fight continues as she has donated her brain to the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine for research purposes. She was lucky to have a cadre of loving caregivers, who treated her like family.

In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully requests charitable donations to Head of Christiana Presbyterian Church, 1100 West Church Road, Newark, Delaware, 19711, where a fund has been established in her name. Donations may also be made to the Johns Hopkins PD and Movement Disorder Center, c/o RT Foard and Jones Funeral Home, 122 West Main Street, Newark, DE, 19711. A memorial service will be held at Head of Christiana on October 13, 2012 at 1:00 p.m. Another life celebration will occur next summer in Stanley, Idaho, where she spent many happy summers with her family.