Barbara Marshall's Obituary
I was born in Jersey City, N. J. on April 3, 1930. My parents Mary and Julius Hoffmann were of Austro-Hungarian ancestry who as naturalized citizens truly believed that the United States was an Eden. They instilled in my brother Joseph and me a love of God and country. They were proud of the fact that we were able to pursue educations and careers that were not available to them. My choices as a young adult were not always wise. I found that I could not simultaneously juggle working a 40-hour week, carry 18 hours of college credit at night and succeed at marriage with a husband who preferred a stay-at-home wife. A change in career from Diet Therapy to Marketing and Management, as well as an amicable divorce, set me on the right road for a successful career and satisfying life. I owe my success to the women and men for whom I worked in PR and education at Johnson & Johnson, in Product Development and Management at Revlon, American Cyanamid, and finally at Gillette Company. In 1972 the Gillette Company hired me as President of their subsidiary Welcome Wagon International. Six years later, through financing arranged through First Tennessee, our Vice President and I purchased the company from Gillette. I believe I met all of our company representatives throughout the 50 states during my 23 years as traveling President and CEO. A truly satisfying aspect of our company was the fact that we represented thousands of local non-profit organizations, advertising for them pro bono. Our national campaign for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital was supported by all our employees throughout the country. I have served on the boards of Opera Memphis, Downtown Development, and Chamber of Commerce, and contributed substantially to the Oral School for the Deaf, Humane Society of Memphis and Shelby County, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and ESPN Academy. I am survived by my niece, Virginia Hoffmann, my sister-in-law Louise Hoffmann and dear friends: Rosemary Higginbotham, Kay Campbell, Andrea and Larry Lugar, and Cindy Hill, all of whom cared for me through two bouts of cancer surgery and chemo. I now hope to join my dear parents and brother discovering the rest of our Creator’s universe. May I presume to request that anyone who cares to honor my memory send contributions to the Humane Society of Memphis and Shelby County or the Memphis Oral School for the Deaf.Barbara passed away at her home on June 16, 2016. She will be greatly missed by her wide circle of friends. Visitation will be from 1:30-2:30 pm, Sunday, June 19 immediately followed by funeral services at Memorial Park Funeral Home.Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Memorial Park Funeral Home, 5668 Poplar, Memphis, TN 38119. “Celebrating Life…..Behind the Stone Wall”.
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