Marjorie Jean Emerson Cole

Marjorie Jean Emerson Cole died Feb. 22, 2023, at the age of 86 after a short illness.

Marjorie loved her family, friends, neighbors, students, and dogs.

She taught special education in Lawrence Public Schools for more than 20 years, working above and beyond for her students.

Together with her late husband and children, she started a family business, SoftCole, which produced Type To Learn , a game-based software program used in many school districts.  It helps children learn to type while also mastering fun facts about science, history, geography, and other topics.  After she retired, she volunteered with an AARP Tax Program providing free tax preparation services.

She was born July 29, 1936, in Alameda, Calif., to George Albert Emerson and Arlie Virginia Williams Emerson. She grew up in Galveston, Texas, and graduated from the University of Texas, where she met Richard Cole; they married May 31, 1958.  They moved many times before settling in Lawrence in 1965. Richard, a longtime member of the philosophy faculty at the University of Kansas, died April 2, 2013.

Marjorie’s sisters are Catherine Emerson (Abigail Young) of Toronto and Carolyn Needleman (the late Martin Needleman) of Providence, Rhode Island. Marjorie was preceded in death by her brother, Fred Emerson, and her parents.

Marjorie’s children are Mark Cole (Gretchen) of West Chester, Penn.; Wendy Cole Ashlock (the late Dan Ashlock) of Guelph, Ontario; and Aletha Cole Musser (David) of Somerville, Mass.

Grandchildren are Sam Cole, Josh Cole, Hannah Cole, Benjamin Cole, Charlotte Ashlock, Peter Arrow, Richard Ashlock, and Walter Musser. Great-grandchildren are Thomas Cole, Elizabeth Cole, and Clementine Cole.

Her beloved dog is Toby. Her late dogs include Banana, Ebenezer, Shaggy, Noble Dog, and Molly.  She also had cats named Howard, Papillon, and Effy.

She was a voracious and eclectic reader, and her favorite author was Charles Dickens. She was leader of a Dickens Readers group that gathered to take turns reading aloud and then have tea. In honor of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol , she made a plum pudding every Christmas while someone, usually the youngest person at the table, read the passage from Dickens.

A fierce advocate for democracy and voting rights, she volunteered with the League of Women Voters and had been the Lawrence chapter’s secretary and treasurer. She also served as a poll worker.  A sign in her study says “Your Vote Matters.”

Marjorie’s greatest wish is for everyone to get a good education and to be good citizens.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Lawrence Schools Foundation at lawrenceschoolsfoundation.org, or the League of Women Voters at lawrenceleague.com; checks may be sent in care of Warren-McElwain.

A memorial service will be at 10 a.m. Thursday, March 2, at Warren-McElwain Mortuary, 120 W. 13 ^th St.; the service will be live-streamed at warrenmcelwain.com. Private interment will follow at Pioneer Cemetery.