Marion Bodie, who dazzled friends and family with her cooking and served for years as treasurer of the Mount Royal Garden Club, died May 11 of oral cancer at Gilchrist Hospice Care in Towson.
She was 69.
Before moving to Towson in 2011, Mrs. Bodie lived for two decades in Baltimore's Guilford neighborhood, where she was known for her tulip parties every May. She loved to entertain, and no matter the event she hosted, her guests felt welcome, said Margo Bates of the garden club.
"You walked in and thought it was catered because she was so good at cooking," Mrs. Bates said. "Her table was always beautiful."
Born Marion Reyer in Baltimore, Mrs. Bodie spent her childhood in Boston. When she returned to Baltimore, she met her future husband, Carroll Bodie, who would later become an attorney. He was a student at Loyola High School and she attended Maryvale Preparatory School.
They married in 1965. As a young woman, Mrs. Bodie worked as a bank teller, assistant to a bank officer, and bookkeeper, her husband said.
The couple had a daughter, Margaret, in 1966, and the family moved to Milwaukee in 1976. There, Mrs. Bodie helped to start a franchise of Telecheck Inc., a check verification service.
"She was instrumental in getting the office started, hiring all the office employees," Mr. Bodie said.
In the late 1980s, the Bodies moved back to Baltimore, where they would settle in the Guilford neighborhood. Mrs. Bodie served for many years as treasurer of the Mount Royal Garden Club.
Mrs. Bodie was a reliable and organized bookkeeper for the group, Mrs. Bates said.
"As far as keeping everything well documented and making sure bills were paid, she was on top of it," she said. "You never needed to think twice about whether it was done or not."
Mrs. Bodie's fellow garden club members counted on her for tasks that needed to be done, whether it was organizing financial records or baking cookies for an event.
"If you were doing anything and said, 'I'll call Marion,' it was done," Mrs. Bates said.
In addition to gardening, Mrs. Bodie's passions included cooking and entertaining. Among her specialties were dishes such as Osso Buco with risotto Milanese, Mr. Bodie said.
"She liked to do main meals that were beautifully prepared," said Linda Robinson, a neighbor from Guilford who remembered Mrs. Bodie as "very smart and very witty."
"She was always a very pleasant smile in the room — a delight to be with, and always was gracious," recalled Mrs. Robinson's husband, Zelig.
Mrs. Bodie also loved cats and had great compassion for feral ones, Mrs. Robinson said.
"Small feral colonies of cats seemed to find her," Mrs. Robinson said. "She took very good care of these cats and spayed them when she could catch them. ... Cats can be silly, and she loved the silliness. They tickled her with their antics and their personalities, and she found great pleasure in that."
A memorial mass will be held at noon May 30 at the Baltimore Basilica, 409 Cathedral St., with a reception immediately following.
Besides her husband, Mrs. Bodie is survived by her daughter, Margaret McNulty of Cleveland; a brother, John Reyer, of Toronto; and two grandchildren.
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