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Marcella Dolan Rhatigan was born July 21, 1914 in Catlin, IL to Adelaide and William Dolan. Her only sibling Bill, born in 1916, a Lieutenant in the Army, was killed in The Battle of the Bulge in 1944. Marcella graduated from St. Mary-of-the-Woods College in 1936 and began a teaching career in Chicago, IL. In 1952, she accepted a teaching position with the Department of Defense and moved to Tokyo, Japan. She taught at Yoyogi Elementary School in the American Army base of Washington Heights. While in Japan she met her future husband, Capt. Edwin T. Rhatigan and they were married in 1954. She continued teaching until they rotated back to Fort Meade, MD in 1956. They, along with son Steven, lived in Fairfax, VA; Fort Leavenworth, KS; Frankfurt, Germany; Heidelberg, Germany; Piraeus, Greece; Honolulu, HI and Fort Huachuca, AZ before a final posting at Arlington Hall, VA. In 1974, after Ed's retirement as ASA Chief Signal Officer, they moved to Albuquerque, NM where they built their dream home in Paradise Hills. They were both active in civic and political activities until Ed's death in 1987. She decided to move to the Army Residence Community in San Antonio, TX to be closer to her son, daughter-in-law Sharon and grandchildren Sarah and Sean who live in the Houston, TX area. Marcella was involved in many Catholic based charities, especially those for the care of retired nuns and priests, as well as her alma mater, St. Mary-of-the-Woods. She was also an active member of St. John Neumann Catholic Church and the Retired Army Officer's Association. She believed that it was important to provide for others and acted on this belief for her entire life. In her later years, she was fortunate to have such dedicated aides as Deborah Jacobs, Nomely "Bunny" Costo and Evelyn Marie Edmondson. They cared for her as if she were family and were with her as she peacefully passed from this earth on Friday, December 23, 2005 . She is now with her Lord; her mother and father; brother, Bill; husband, Ed; and many other friends and relatives who encompassed her remarkable life. Marcella was a wonderful teacher, wife, mother, and friend and will be missed by those who knew her. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. In lieu of flowers, please send your kind contributions to: Marcella Rhatigan Scholarship, c/o Sister Joan Zescinski, Guerin Hall - Ste. 119, Saint Mary - of - the - Woods, IN 47876 Steven and Sharon Rhatigan 14 Crinkleroot Court, The Woodlands, TX 77380
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