Obituary of Mary Charlotte Drake

Mary Charlotte "Marcha" Howard Drake, 79, of Pine Grove Mills passed away June 1, 2019. Marcha was born August 10, 1939 in Greensburg, Pa, the daughter of Margaret Kinnison Howard and Thomas Lawrence Howard. She graduated from Greensburg High School, where she met Thomas R. Drake, who would become her husband of nearly 54 years. Marcha graduated from Westminster College with a BA in Speech and Dramatic Arts. She taught public speaking, debate and directed class plays at Dormont (now Keystone Oaks) High School in Pittsburgh. She also completed graduate work at the University of Michigan. Marcha completed a BA in Special Education at Cabrini College in the evenings and taught during the day while Tom returned to Penn for a degree in Veterinary Medicine. After graduation they moved to State College, where Marcha taught for the Central Intermediate Unit, teaching gifted and talented students as well as special needs students for 16 years.

Marcha is survived by her husband, Thomas R. Drake, daughters Winifred Drake and Anne (Christina) Drake, and grandchildren Paul (TomiLee) Armstrong, Dorothea and Zora Majszak-Drake. Marcha was an avid quilter and past president of Centre Pieces Quilt Guild. She often multi-tasked quilting with a book on tape/CD, allowing her to remain a voracious reader through the years and not drop a stitch. In retirement she was a docent at the Penn State All Sports Museum under the guidance of Lou Prato, particularly enjoying the tours she led with school children-ever the teacher. She was a member of Grace Lutheran Church. Marcha loved to travel, especially to the UK as she was tremendously proud of her Scottish and Irish heritage. In addition to her family and friends, Marcha was devoted to her dogs and could often be heard to say that she liked dogs more than most people. She remained an enthusiastic fan of all Penn State sports, the Steelers and her beloved Pirates, decorating the front of her home with a new Jolly Roger banner most recently.

Friends will be received from 1:30 until 2:30 p.m., on Saturday, July 6, 2019 at Grace Lutheran Church, 205 S Garner St, State College. A memorial service will follow at 2:30 p.m., at the church.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks for memorial contributions to be donated to Centre County PAWS, 1401 Trout Rd, State College, PA 16801.

Arrangements are under the care of Koch Funeral Home, State College. Online condolences and signing of the guest book may be entered at www.kochfuneralhome.com.