Marjorie M. Nemes

Marjorie M. Nemes, 91, of Wyndmoor, passed away on Wednesday, May 22, 2013 in her home. Born in Bethlehem, she was the daughter of the late Evan and Ilona A. John.

Marjorie (John) Nemes grew up in Fountain Hill and graduated from Liberty High School in 1939. She received her diploma in nursing from St. Luke's Hospital School of Nursing in 1942, graduating 3rd in her class of 21 students, her BS from Lebanon Valley College in 1945, an MS in Biology from Lehigh in 1951 and her Ph.D. in Biology from Lehigh in 1955. After graduating from Lehigh University, she spent three years at the Rockefeller Institute and spent some time teaching at the Women's Medical College in Philadelphia. She worked as a supervisor and research scientist for Merck and Company and was a bio-medical consultant to hospitals and nursing homes. Not one to go quietly into retirement, she traveled extensively participating in several expeditions to the Arctic. While she was able to, she made bi-annual trips to the Amazon and the Peruvian rainforest collecting plants for medicinal purposes, studying pre-historic birds and even negotiating with bandits. She loved to learn and was curious about all things. Referring to the rainforest and its fragile ecosystem, she said, "You can thank Fran Trembley for that," recalling the late, legendary Lehigh professor of biology who was responsible for cultivating her interest in ecology. "He was studying ecology when no one knew what the word meant." Marjorie Nemes was a generous benefactor to the University and was a member of the Asa Packer and Tower Societies. She will be missed by her many friends on campus. Upon retiring from Merck she spent several years working the midnight shift counseling troubled youth at Northwestern Hospital, now NW Institute of Psychiatry.

Survivors: Cousins, Robert J. Nemes, Stephen Nemes, Marion Smeltzer and

Gertrude Austin.

Contributions can be made in Marjorie's name to the Marjorie M. Nemes ‘51G Endowed Fellowship Fund, Lehigh University, c/o Development Office, 27 Memorial Drive West, Bethlehem, PA 18015.

Services: 10:30 a.m., Thursday, May 30, 2013 Connell Funeral Home, Inc., 245 East Broad Street, Bethlehem, PA. Call 10:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

Interment in Holy Saviour Cemetery, Bethlehem.

Cemetery
Holy Saviour Cemetery
2575 Linden St.
Bethlehem PA 18017
US

Visitation
Thursday, May 30, 2013
10:00 AM - 10:30 AM
The Connell Funeral Home
245 E. Broad St.
Bethlehem PA 18018
US
610-868-8531

Service
Thursday, May 30, 2013
10:30 AM
Connell Funeral Home, Inc.
245 East Broad St.
Bethlehem PA 18018
US
610-868-8531

Funeral HomeConnell Funeral Home, Inc.
245 East Broad St.
Bethlehem PA - 18018
US
610-868-8531