Saturday, May 18, 2013

Published: April 23, 2009

An avid gardener and photographer, Marion M. Harff died on April 19 at home after a courageous battle with cancer. She was devoted to her family, concentrating on assuring that her children, Pamela, Blair, and Todd, not only were well brought up and educated, but also were introduced to a wide variety of cultural, artistic, and athletic activities.

An avid traveler, Marion and her husband made numerous trips throughout all of Europe and parts of Africa and Asia as well as the South Pacific, Australia, New Zealand, and the Caribbean. Not only did she enjoy seeing new places and meeting new people, but it also gave her the opportunity to devote special effort to photographing people, locales, flowers, and gardens.

Her parents, John Blair and Ethel Tefft MacAfee, welcomed the birth of Marion Haines MacAfee in New York City on October 13, 1930. She grew up principally in Bronxville, N.Y., except during the second World War when she and her parents lived in Miami, Fla., and Del Rio, San Antonio, and Ft. Worth, Texas. After the war, she went to a preparatory school in Vermont, the Woodstock Country School, where she graduated in 1948. Four years later she received her bachelor of arts degree from the University or Rochester.

Her travel interest began in earnest upon graduating from college with a summer in Holland and France under the auspices of the Experiment in International Living. That followed promptly with over a year and a half in Anchorage, Alaska, working in the PX Office at Elmendorf Air Force base where her father, who had been recalled to active duty during the Korean War, was then stationed. Upon returning to New York City, Marion became a financial analyst in the oil and gas group of The Bankers Trust. In 1957, she took a leave of absence to travel for six weeks in England, Italy, and France.

On July 19, 1958, she married Charles H. Harff, a New York lawyer, at The Church of the Ascension in New York City. After a honeymoon in St. Thomas, the Harffs lived in New York City for several years before moving in 1963 with their then two children to Port Washington, N.Y. While living on Long Island, Marion actively served on the Girl Scout Troop Committee, as a Cub Scout den mother, and as an officer and active participant in the PTA's of the elementary, middle and high schools as her three children grew up. She was also very active in St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, serving on and as head of the Altar Guild and on the church's rector search committee. Frequent trips to museums, theaters, symphony and other musical performances, as well as to historical sites and parks highlighted her efforts to assure the children had broad ranges of interests. While in Port Washington, she was a member of the Port Washington Yacht Club and the North Hempstead Country Club.

When the family began spending time on Martha's Vineyard in the summer of 1966, Marion resumed playing tennis and enjoyed many a family tennis match. She also did a lot more gardening and passed on her love of it particularly to Blair, who had an extensive vegetable garden on the Vineyard and later on his farm in upstate New York. The children also did a lot of horseback riding (Marion spent hours and hours watching them at horse shows every Saturday), swimming, boating, and fishing. As the children grew up, Marion started golf so that it, too, became a family activity.

During the 1960s and 70s, Marion's interest in photography intensified, with courses at the New York Botanical Garden and via a number of photo workshops throughout the country. She also devoted herself to furthering her interest in sculpture, creating a number of works under the tutelage of

George Gach. She was active in the North Shore Junior League, having transferred from the Junior League of New York City where her most rewarding activity was teaching English to groups of professionals from Eastern Europe who had recently emigrated to the United States.

In 1984, Marion moved to Sewickley, Penn., when her husband accepted a position as a senior vice president of Rockwell International. She became very active on the board of the Union Aid Society, including service as its president, and in the Village Garden Club and the flower committee of the Presbyterian Church. She also served on the board of the Sweetwater Center for the Arts and was an active member of the Allegheny Country Club. She taught several classes in photography and flower arrangement and exhibited her photography both in Pittsburgh and on Martha's Vineyard. An extensive selection of her photographs can be seen at harff.com. Marion also created a number of gardens on their property on Blackburn Road.

Marion was predeceased by her son, J. Blair Harff, who died in April 2008 in a farm accident. She is survived by her husband, Charles, and their children, Pamela and Bob Daufenbach; Blair's widow, Kristina Harff, and grandchildren Scott, Kayla, and Benjamin; and Todd and Judy Harff and grandchildren April and Amy.

A memorial service will be held at the Presbyterian Church, in Sewickley, at 11 am on Friday, May 1. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions may be made to the charity of your choice or to the Flower Fund of the Presbyterian Church in Sewickley, the Sewickley Valley Hospital, or Featherstone Center for the Arts.