Marie C. Scarfi, artist and teacher
Marie C. Scarfi, 88, of Lewes passed away peacefully at home Friday morning, Oct. 16, 2020, with her loving wife and partner of 33 years, Rosanne Faust, at her side. She is loved and missed by her devoted family, and by friends from every phase of her life, including some with whom she had been close since early childhood.
An accomplished artist, Marie earned her BA degree from Hunter College and her MS degree from Queen’s College in New York City. Her watercolors and monotype prints were exhibited in numerous juried shows and invitationals at galleries including The Rehoboth Art League, The Carnegie Institute of Fine Arts in Pittsburgh, The Huntington Township Art League in N.Y. and the Westhampton and East Hampton Chambers of Commerce Art Shows in New York. Her paintings are in public and private collections in the United States, Great Britain, France, and Sweden. In 1995, Marie was honored and delighted to represent the state of Delaware in the Kennedy Center’s Very Special Arts Exhibition in Washington, D.C., with her work submitted by the Rehoboth Art League curator.
Marie and her sister Nora Mazzara were raised in Manhattan by their parents, Christine and Paul Scarfi. The sisters both were educated at Our Lady of Pompeii School in Manhattan. After high school, Marie went on to college and became a resident of the Clara De Hirsch residence for young women, which offered affordable room and board to many young European Jewish refugees as well as to a small number of students, like Marie, from New York educational institutions. The diverse roster of friends she made there had a significant influence on her, introducing her heart and mind to women with backgrounds and cultures unlike her own. Many of these women became part of a circle of lifelong friends. During her college years, Marie supported herself in part with the skills she was developing as an artist, painting decorative lamp bases and murals on mirrors in restaurants. With some convincing, she also agreed to sing at times with a band that played in the Catskills. She was especially proud of having been a member of the Interracial Fellowship Chorus of New York City and of performing with the group at Carnegie Hall.
Marie worked as a teacher in New York schools for 30 years. She was devoted to her students, attentive to their unique personalities and individual needs as well as their education. When a former student sought her out to say thank you, she and Marie then corresponded regularly for the past 10 years. Her deep interest in people and culture also was fulfilled on memorable travel through much of Europe and to Russia on trips sponsored by the teachers’ union.
Upon retiring, Marie moved to Lewes with Rosanne. In a house they built on Red Mill Pond, Marie continued her studies, this time focusing on the lives of the birds and animals she observed there. Anyone who visited Rosanne and Marie would find her never far from their panoramic view of the pond and its inhabitants. She also was an avid golfer and played on the women’s team at the former Sussex Pines for a number of years.
Marie continued to make art, turning to soapstone sculpture as well as painting and prints. Her sister Nora Mazzara, with whom she spoke every day, is also an artist who resides in Mountain View, Calif. Marie and Rosanne’s home is a showcase for Marie’s artwork, and for many of Nora’s exquisite sculptures and ceramics.
In addition to her wife Rosanne Faust, and her sister Nora, Marie is survived by Rosanne’s daughter Carolyn Faust; her brother-in-law, Anthony Mazzara; her nephews and nieces: Victor Mazzara, Christine Mazzara Cleveland, Laura Lane, Valerie Snook, Paul Mazzara, and their significant others; and many grand-nieces and -nephews. Her constant companion and beloved dog, Savannah, misses her daily.
A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 7, at Parsell Funeral Homes & Crematorium, Atkins-Lodge Chapel, 16961 Kings Highway, Lewes, where friends may visit beginning at 2 p.m. Interment will follow the services at St. Peter’s Cemetery, Pilottown Road, Lewes.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations in Marie’s memory to the Delaware SPCA, 22918 Dupont Highway, Georgetown, DE 19947 or delspca.org.
Visit Marie’s Life Memorial webpage and sign her online guestbook at www.parsellfuneralhomes.com.
