News

By Emily J. Minor
    
MANALAPAN — Natalie C. Marcon, a devoted wife and mother whose bright disposition and strong faith carried her through recent years of medical tribulations, died March 1. She was 69.
    Although it was cancer that claimed her life, Mrs. Marcon’s husband, Fred, said his wife had experienced life-changing complications from routine hip replacement surgery about four years ago. Eventually, Mrs. Marcon had more than a dozen surgeries in an attempt to get back to full health.
    Then, about six months ago, she developed pancreatic cancer, he said.
    “The things I loved about her manifested themselves through her illness, her death and her ceremony,” he said. “She was clearly the most caring, giving, God-fearing person I had ever met.”
    Known by the nickname of “Pinky,” Mrs. Marcon was born May 1, 1942, in Chicago. As a young girl, she moved with her family to Miami, but returned to Chicago frequently to visit family.
    She met Fred Marcon in 1958 at the local church carnival during one of those family visits. The next year, she returned to study nursing and the two were married on Aug. 25, 1962.
    Through the early years of her marriage, Mrs. Marcon managed the couple’s home and five children while her husband managed his burgeoning career. Eventually, the family moved from Flossmoor, Ill., to Ridgewood, N.J., outside Manhattan, where Fred Marcon became president and CEO of Insurance Services Office, Inc., which provides analysis for commercial and personal insurance.
    When Fred Marcon retired as CEO of the company in 2003, the couple began splitting their time between Fish Creek, Wis., and Ocean Ridge, he said.
    Then, about four years ago, Fred Marcon said they “found a delightful lot and built this home,” where they lived in Manalapan.
    “It was too bad that she didn’t live to enjoy it,” he said.
    While her final years were indeed a struggle, they were also filled with the peace of family, her husband said. Mrs. Marcon traveled frequently, mostly to spend time with her children and grandchildren.
    Her five children are: Michael, Tony, Michelle, Alison and Mark and live in California, Illinois, New Jersey and Massachusetts. Nine grandchildren also survive her.
    As the end drew near, Fred Marcon said his wife was thinking of the grandkids, remembering promises she’d made. She’d told their granddaughter, Carmen, she would take her to Paris; she’d promised two grandsons a trip to Normandy. Now, says Fred Marcon, he’ll make those trips in her stead. “I promised I would do that,” he said.
    Services for Mrs. Marcon were held last month in Chicago Heights, Ill. The family asks that any memorials be sent to the Catholic religious order of Fraternite Notre Dame, 2290 First Ave., New York, NY10035.