Marjorie Willard Duer formerly of Hillsborough

Marjorie Willard Duer died peacefully at home on December 16, 2022. She was surrounded by her loving caregivers and Coastal Hospice. The daughter of Agnes Brittingham Willard, she was born on April 16, 1933, in Wachapreague, on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Marge grew up in the Baltimore area and graduated from Western High School. She also studied music at the Peabody Institute. She then enrolled at the College of William and Mary and attained a B.F.A. in 1955 and was a member of the Chi Omega sorority. It was at William and Mary that she met and married her husband, the late John H. Duer III. They lived most of their 65 years of marriage in Hillsborough, near Belle Haven, on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, where they raised their family. She was a wonderful wife, mother, and friend.

Marge was a class act, very witty and smart. She was a great entertainer, known for her catered parties. A worldwide traveler, she had holiday homes in Christiansted, USVI., Hilton Head, SC, and Williamsburg, VA. They moved to Salisbury to be close to their daughter, Julie, and son-in-law, in early 2000. In 2010, Marge and Jack took the around the world Cunard cruise. She was an artist and a collector of art and early American and English antiques. She also loved gardening, flowers, music, and dogs. Her volunteer work included garden clubs, Life Crisis, Kerr Place in Onancock and hospice. She worked with the U.S. Census because she wanted to meet and see how neighbors lived. Marge contributed to many charities and organizations. Among them are the New Accomack County Hospital, Coastal Hospice, Community Foundation of Eastern Shore, Tidal Health, The Ward Museum, Belle Haven Presbyterian Church, Salisbury University Foundation, and William and Mary.

She is survived by her son, John H. Duer IV of Granada, Spain and often Paris, France; her daughters, Read Duer Landen and her husband of Newport, North Carolina and Julie Duer Clayton and her husband, John Henry Clayton, Sr., of Salisbury and Ocean City, Maryland; three grandchildren, Thomas Duer Landen, Marjorie Read Landen, and Jacqueline Valentine Clayton; and three great-grandchildren. Her loving caregivers were Denise Collins, Deborah Johnson, Lauren Barkley, and Eslyn Mohabir.

A graveside service in celebration of Marge’s life will be held at the St. George’s Episcopal Church Cemetery on Saturday, April 15, 2023 at 2:00 p.m., with The Reverend Linda Rogers officiating. A reception will follow the service.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations in Marge’s name to Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore, 1324 Belmont Ave., Ste. 401, Salisbury, MD 21801 (cfes.org/donate); Coastal Hospice, P.O. Box 1733, Salisbury, MD 21802 (coastalhospice.org/charitable-giving); College of William and Mary, Office of University Advancement, Gift Administration, P.O. Box 1693, Williamsburg, VA 23187-1693 (give.wm.edu); Life Crisis Center, Tina Ciarmoli, Development Center, P.O. Box 387, Salisbury, MD 21803 (lifecrisiscenter.org/donate); Salisbury University Foundation, Inc., P.O. Box 2655, Salisbury, MD 21802 (giving.salisbury.edu); or Humane Society of Wicomico County, 5130 Citation Dr., Salisbury, MD 21804 (paypal.me/wicomicohumane).

Memory tributes may be shared with the family at williamsfuneralhomes.com.

Arrangements by the Williams-Onancock Funeral Home.