By Deborah Larsen
Marian Frances Jerome
Marian Frances Jerome was born in Detroit, Michigan, on November 29, 1923, the daughter of Charles “Larry” and Frances Brett Jerome. Marian grew up in Rochester, Michigan, where her father owned and operated the Larry Jerome Ford dealership on Main Street. Marian attended Rochester High School and graduated in the class of 1941. After high school, she continued her education at Miami University of Ohio.
In May 1944, Marian enlisted in the U.S. Navy Women’s Reserve, known as the WAVES. After attending basic training at Hunter College, she was first stationed in Washington, D.C., and later at the naval air station at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn, New York. Marian was released from military service in March 1946.
After the war, Marian completed her college degree, married Marine Corps veteran and advertising executive John C. Hartsuff, and started a family. The Hartsuffs eventually moved to Marshall, Michigan.
Marian Frances Jerome Hartsuff died at age 91 on December 13, 2014, and was laid to rest in Frankfort, Michigan.