September 20, 1920 – June 4, 2020

Leila Frances Riddle Marquis, long-time teacher, world traveler, and appreciator of the arts, departed this life peacefully at age 99 on June 4, 2020, surrounded by loved ones. Beloved mother of Catherine Marquis-Homeyer (the late Bruce James “Seric” Homeyer), Harry Marquis (Linda), and Paula Ayers (Andy), grandmother of Sarah Ayers Shepardson Richter (Bill), KT Ayers, Emily Ayers, Keaton Homeyer, Paul, Natalie, Marilyn and Juliette Marquis, great-grandmother of Shawna Shepardson (Will Shields) and Ian Shepardson (Sam Strand).

Mrs. Marquis was born in St. Louis and grew up near Shaw’s Garden (now the Missouri Botanical Garden). Mrs Marquis was married to the late Paul Marquis, a St. Louis artist who was twice president of the St. Louis Artists Guild, and she was active in the St. Louis Artists Guild and the Players theater group. They had four children, Catherine Frances, Harry Paul, Paula Jean, and Lee Michael Marquis.

She volunteered as a docent at the St. Louis Art Museum, and was an active member of many organizations including American Association of University Women, Great Decisions and Missouri Retired Teachers Association. Becoming a teacher was a childhood ambition she achieved, and she was a member of the teachers sorority Sigma Sigma Sigma. She also was a member of the Sierra Club, the St. Louis Art Museum, and Missouri Botanical Garden, and supported arts organizations Dance St. Louis, the Repertory Theater of St. Louis and St. Louis Opera Theater.

Mrs. Marquis was very much a “joiner” and had a great many friends. One of her longest friendships was with the late Virginia Keck whom she had met in first grade, and one of her best friends was the late Joan Raburn, whom she met through the Artists Guild. As a world traveler, she was one of the first ordinary American tourists to visit China when it was opened to Americans in the 1970s, and she also traveled to Thailand, Japan, Egypt, Spain, Italy, Great Britain, Greece, France, and many other destinations.

Although her life had its hardships, particularly the loss of her youngest son Lee Michael Marquis at age 7 to brain cancer, she was a strong person who mostly had a positive view of life. She was a person of enormous self confidence, a very sociable, outgoing person, and someone her friends knew they could count on to be there for them. She also was always curious about other cultures and other nations, and she was a lifelong learner. She was the rare person who got to do nearly everything she set out to do in life.

Services:

Mrs. Marquis will be interred at St. Leo’s Churchyard in Modoc, IL, next to her beloved mother, Sarah Marlen Riddle. A memorial service will be held in September, when she would have been 100.