Geneva "Jean" Marcum

The Marcum Family wishes to announce that the 83 year journey of Geneva Jean Hammond Marcum has come to its conclusion. She died in the early hours at home on Thursday December 4, 2014 surrounded by family members and her beloved dog, Sophia. We will post information on her funeral arrangements later in this article as they are currently being arranged. For those of you who are unaware, Mom has been long suffering from Alzheimer’s, a disease which has been and continues to ravage her fellow family members. She put up a valiant fight against the disease, participating for over two years in an international research study taking place at OSU under the guidance of the imminent Neurologist, Dr. Sharre. Bravely, she even appeared in a national news episode in which she exposed her inability to remember and answer even basic questions as part of tests to determine the basic decline of mental competency. Mama was a unique case study as she suffered from no other illnesses other than Alzheimer’s which allowed her to fight long and hard. Unfortunately, the drug study did not work for Mom’s particular type of Alzheimer’s. For each and every illness or infection mom would contract, the toll would be taken in her mental capacity and therefore also affect her physical abilities. There would be no bounce back to wellness. She could be perfectly fine one day and the next day lose the ability to walk. Early on she lost the ability to communicate with us or tell us what was wrong, or if something hurt. The whole family bonded together in the herculean effort to give her the dignity & independence she desired, yet to protect her and allow her to spend her remaining days in her own home. (We hope she will forgive us the tiny white lies we had to use like losing the car keys while actually hiding them in the freezer, or being in extreme financial distress and could she please help us out by allowing us to move back home with her. She would give away everything she owned if she could help someone.) Unfortunately, not all things can be overcome. Sadly, Two days after her 83rd birthday, while at a licensed daycare center, in a split second of inattention, a licensed professional allowed Mom to fall head first from her wheelchair, and split open her forehead. She was ambulanced to Riverside Hospital Emergency where they found no broken neck, no cracked skull, and no bleeding into the skull (all good things) just the huge hematoma and cut skin. But in Alzheimer’s there is no bounce back. From that day forward, mother had lost the ability to drink through a straw; she began choking on her food and lost interest in eating. The trauma was too great. She drifted away from us and the family is having a hard time coping with the knowledge that this accident may have cost us months off Mama’s life. We are all grateful and blessed for the time we have had with her. She was truly an exceptional woman. A special shout out to the wonderful Mt. Carmel Hospice assistance in allowing us to care for her at home through her passing!!! Geneva Hammond was born November 21st, 1931 in Wayne County West Virginia and grew up in Red Jacket with her brother and sisters: Ramona, Laura, Wilma (Billie), Larry, Ernest, Tuner, Charlie, Lee, and Delbert. She graduated from Wayne County High School. She met, fell in love and married Pearlie Marcum Jr. and moved to Columbus Ohio, where she began working as an operator for the telephone company. Geneva joined Sweney Cartwright & Co., a stock and bond Investment Company as a switchboard operator and worked her way up to Secretary Treasurer during her 30+ year career. She is survived by her immediate family and spouses listed at the end of this article. Geneva was an exceptional woman with an unfailing positive attitude. Geneva could say no ill of anyone. One of her dear friends, Elizabeth “Libbey” Tharpe once said, “If Geneva was being beaten to death by a man with a stick, she would say ‘But it was a really nice stick’. Geneva was generous to a fault and would give away anything she owned if it would help someone in need. She was forever opening her home up to children of all ages, often taking them into her home to live during troubled times. Her home was a retreat for all the friends of her children throughout their lives. Mom always had a baby in her arms, she loved children so. She became a second mother to her grandchildren Tara & Trey. Mom was active in the Sharon Woods Baptist Church and even shared her home with one of their members for a period of time, and donated to anyone in need. Mother was very modest and had absolutely no idea of how wonderful she was or how many people’s lives were enhanced and forever changed by her presence. Mother loved to travel and spent many vacations with family and friends. Fred &Elizabeth “ Liz” Bennett were the best friend of Pearlie and Geneva for 40+ years. Geneva and Fred continued their friendship after the loss of their respective spouses and participated in many group tours together. Fred is a special friend of the family and aided immensely in the day to day care and needs of Geneva throughout her illness. Fred even built her wheelchair ramp that so facilitated her independence. He continued to visit her even when she could no longer communicate and is cherished by the Marcum Family and an indispensable an honorary family member. Thank you Fred! Join us in a celebration of her life! Viewings: Thursday, December 11th 2:00-4:00 p.m. and 6:00-8:00 p.m. At: Rutherford-Corbin Funeral Home 515 High Street Worthington, Ohio 43085 614/885-4006 Funeral: Friday, December 12th 10:00 a.m. Sharon Woods Baptist Church 5959 Sharon Woods Boulevard Columbus, OH 43229 614/891-0755 I can’t praise the family and spouses enough for the ingenious solutions and active participation in the care of Mom. I need to send a very special shout out to my husband Gerald who moved into mother’s home with me and adjusted his life/work schedule to help me take care of mama. I have never met another spouse so caring. How brave of him to take on someone else’s mother’s care. There is not enough praise to express my gratitude. I would also like to offer a special thanks to my sister Tracey and her husband Pete who enrolled mama in the Alzheimer’s Study, handled the financial morass of paperwork, arranged countless doctors’ appointments, and was always on call for any problem and who suffered the brunt of the initial paranoia encountered with the onset of dementia. She is now and will ever be my hero. Randy, in a tough position living 500+ miles away, offered precious handyman skills as often as he could visit, even refinishing mom’s wooden floors. Geneva Jean Hammond Marcum Immediate Family Shelley Marlene Marcum Kuster Gerald E. Kuster Randall Joe Marcum Carolyn Gluth Marcum Tracey Marcum Manz Peter Manz Tara Marie Manz (Trey) Peter Manz II Angie Marcum Huffman Tyler Huffman Geneva Marie Seagle Holt Huffman Knox Huffman Amy Marcum O'Brien BJ O'Brien Lincoln O'Brien Amanda Marcum Joey Marcum