Marie Corbin Richardson

Born on October 11, 1930 in Detroit, Michigan to George and Marie Corbin, Marie was the older sister to her twin brothers George Jr. and Richard. The family moved to Washington DC when Marie was nine years old in 1939.

As a young African American woman from a middle class family, Marie grew up during segregation and understood early on that education was a way to advance socially and economically. She became the first person in her family to go to college

Marie attended the University of Michigan from 1949 to 1952 where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in English. While at the University of Michigan, she became a proud member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

Then came another first, as she chose to go to Howard University to earn a Masters Degree in Education. From there she dedicated herself to teaching and motivating young African American children to give them the leg up that she had worked so hard to earn. Those acts of courage and determination inspired other family members to follow suit producing generations of teachers.

At Howard, she met Earl Richardson, who was studying there on the G.I. Bill, having just come back from the Korean War. They were married in 1958, and remained together until Earl’s death in March 2013.

Marie became a teacher with DC public schools in 1960. She spent the bulk of her 35-year career as an educator at Scott Montgomery Elementary School where she taught for 25 years as a librarian/media specialist, retiring at age 65.

In her retirement, Marie enjoyed connecting every day with friends and family, volunteering at the polls every election day, playing bridge with her friends, and traveling with her husband Earl to visit their daughter Camille, who was working internationally for the U.S. Department of Commerce as a Foreign Service Officer.

Marie had a strong will and a loving heart. Slow to anger and quick to forgive, she bore the challenges of life with beauty and grace with her head held high. One of those challenges was with breast cancer, which she beat in 1998. As a breast cancer survivor, she advocated and contributed to causes that supported breast cancer research. She valued family, friendship, service, charity, and above all kindness.

Marie passed away on the morning of November 5, 2023. She was the matriarch of her family as well as her husband Earl’s. While Marie’s journey is over and she is at peace, she will be sorely missed by friends and family. She is survived by her daughter Alyce Camille Richardson and Camille’s partner Ed Williams with whom she lived in her final years.

She is mourned by her nieces, nephews, and cousins: Wallace Arnold, Sheila Arnold, and Stephanie Arnold; Kathy Bullock, David White, Lydia Thomas, Diane White-Clayton, Earlene Morgan and Marsha Foust; Vincent Harrison, Gerald Holmes, Judith Boatwright; and Edward Corbin, along with their spouses and children.

Funeral arrangements entrusted to Thibadeau Mortuary Service, p.a., 124 E Diamond Ave., Gaithersburg, MD 20877, 301-495-4950, www.InterFaithFunerals.com.