Obituary: Marian Thomson Scheirman

Marian Thomson Scheirman died Jan. 28 in Edina, Minn. Born Marian Joyce Thomson on May 31, 1924 in Irving, Marshall County, Kan., she was the eldest child of Reginald G. and Irl Browning Thomson. She graduated from Irving High School and earned her bachelor’s degree from the William Allen White School of Journalism at the University of Kansas in 1946. 

Following graduation, Marian was assistant editor of The Torch Magazine in Kansas City, Mo. She met her future husband, William Lynn (Bill) Scheirman, at Central Presbyterian Church in Kansas City. They married in Irving on Oct. 6, 1951 and resided in Oklahoma City until 1969. They lived in Overland Park, Kan., from 1969 to 1998, when they moved to Fort Collins. 

A freelance writer throughout her adult life, Marian co-wrote two novels and authored poems, magazine and newspaper articles and copyrighted songs. She was active in numerous writers’ groups. Marian was an accomplished pianist who played extensively in public, including on a radio show in Kansas City during the 1940s.

One of the adventures of Marian’s lifetime was her trip around the world with Bill in 1968. Marian was a lifelong member of Presbyterian churches in Irving, Oklahoma City and Fort Collins.

Marian was preceded in death by her husband, Bill, and brother, David Browning Thomson, Sr. She is survived by her children David, Granada Hills, Calif.; (Susan),  John R., Topeka, Kan. (Dianne Lawson); Margaret, Richfield, Minn., and Kathleen Dean, Fort Collins (Alan); grandchildren Max, Daniel and Andrea Dean, Alia, John C. and Kaia Scheirman; step-grandchildren; sisters Shirley Ann Burbank and Martha Nance; and nieces and nephews. 

Marian brought grace, warmth and music into the lives of many. The family requests that any memorial donations be made to First Presbyterian Church, Fort Collins, seniors or music ministry, or Luciel Cress Nance, M.D. and J. Wilson Nance Family Scholarship fund, University of Kansas Endowment Association.

A memorial service is planned for March 16 at 2 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church in Fort Collins.