Marion Doris (Gesford) Erat

Mrs. Marion Doris Gesford Erat was born on January 11, 1930, in Lehighton, Pennsylvania to Carl and Pauline Gesford. She entered the world on a crisp winter day with cold, crunchy, crystallized snow covering the ground. Known affectionately as “Sissy” by her siblings growing up.

Celebration of life service will be held 2:00 pm, Tuesday, March 10th, 2026, at Lutheran Church of The Atonement with Pastor Roger Hull officiating. At a later date there will be another service held at Grace Lutheran Church in Hop Bottom, PA. Interment will follow in Maplewood Cemetery in Kingsley, PA.

Marion was predeceased by her husband, George Andrew Erat; her sisters, Charlotte Henderson, Marlene Kurosky, and Beverly Root (John); and her brothers, Teddy Gesford and Gene Gesford.

She is survived by her children: Kathleen Rodriguez, Deborah Erat, Marion Bauer, Paul John Erat (Donna), and Christine Puzak; the grandchildren she helped raise, John and Molly White; and a large extended family including eleven grandchildren, eighteen great-grandchildren, two great-great-grandchildren, and many beloved nieces and nephews.

Marion had a varied and accomplished career. She worked at Bendix in Montrose, Pennsylvania; Fowler's Department Store in Binghamton, New York; and Singer Link, where she excelled as a fine cable electrician building flight simulators for pilot training. In that role, she traveled extensively - to Australia, Japan, Sweden, and throughout the United States. A gifted homemaker, Marion, loved cooking, baking, canning, and sewing. For many years she helped prepare meals for the Harford Fair and graciously opened her home during hunting season, serving hearty Saturday dinners to countless hunters. She also cherished music, dancing, playing cards, and spending time with family and friends.

A woman of deep faith, Marion was a longtime member of Grace Lutheran Church in Hop Bottom, Pennsylvania. She resided at S.J. Bailey Apartments in Nicholson, Pennsylvania, for eighteen years before moving to North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, on May 1, 2023. In her new home, she attended Lutheran Church of the Atonement in Wilkesboro. She loved the Lord deeply and prayed nightly for her family and friends. Above all, Marion was a devoted mother who loved each of her children and grandchildren unconditionally.

Marion went peacefully into the arms of Jesus on February 21, 2026, at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Hospital in North Wilkesboro. She will be remembered as a loving mother, grandmother, friend, and faithful servant of God.

Online condolences may be made to www.reinssturdivant.com.

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