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Marian Lucille Herndon

Marian Lucille Herndon

Female 1917 - 2008  (91 years)


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  • Name Marian Lucille Herndon 
    Birth 18 Jan 1917  Caperton, Fayette, West Virginia, United States Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Gender Female 
    Death 26 Sep 2008  Hilltop, Fayette, West Virginia, United States Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Obituary 28 Sep 2008 
    Find A Grave
     
    • Marian Lucille Herndon McQuade, a tireless advocate for senior citizen rights and founder of National Grandparents Day, passed away peacefully on Friday morning, September 26, 2008, at Hilltop Center, Hilltop. She was 91 years old.The daughter of the late Clarence and Lucille Dickerson Herndon, she was born on January 18, 1917, in Caperton. Marian was a lifelong West Virginian and native of Fayette County.

      She married her Oak Hill High School sweetheart, Joe L. McQuade, in 1936. Mr. and Mrs. McQuade went on to become the proud parents of 15 children, 43 grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren; and three great-great grandchildren.

      In 1970, Mrs. McQuade initiated a grassroots campaign to set aside a special day just for grandparents. Years of working with civic, business, church and political leaders paid off in 1973, when West Virginia Governor Arch A. Moore proclaimed the first National Grandparents Day. Also in 1973, Senator Jennings Randolph (D-W.Va.) introduced a Grandparents Day resolution in the United States Senate. When the resolution languished in committee, Mrs. McQuade began a determined national effort to get the resolution passed.Mrs. McQuade petitioned governors in 49 states to follow West Virginia and set aside a Grandparents Day. Forty-three of those governors sent proclamations to Mrs. McQuade, each declaring a holiday in their states.With this momentum, the bill (Public Law 96-62) was signed into legislation in 1978 by President Jimmy Carter, proclaiming the first Sunday after Labor Day each year as National Grandparents Day. National

      Grandparents Day celebrated its 30th anniversary this year 2008. In part, the Grandparents Day proclamation reads: "Grandparents are our continuing tie to the near-past, to events and beliefs and experiences that so strongly affect our lives and the world around us. Whether they are our own or surrogate grandparents who fill some of the gaps in our mobile society, our senior generation also provides our society a link to our national heritage and traditions."When Mrs. McQuade was asked about founding National Grandparents Day, she said "I am the luckiest person in the world. I have a wonderful and understanding husband, my children are all healthy and well, and my grandchildren and great-grandchildren brighten my days. And then I have my work promoting Grandparents Day, working with seniors and visiting the sick and lonely in hospitals and nursing homes. What more could I want?"Mrs. McQuade's legacy is now being carried on by many of her children and grandchildren, some of whom work on the National Grandparents Day Council, the non-profit corporation established by descendants of Marian H. McQuade. (www.grandparents-day.com). The council's purpose is to protect and promote the original intent of National Grandparents Day as championing the elderly. The council also works to enlarge and enhance the celebration of the holiday by cultivating intergenerational activities throughout the year.Mrs. McQuade's work with senior citizens dates back to 1956, when she first helped Jim Comstock, editor of the West Virginia Hillbilly and the Richwood News Leader, with organizing a Past 80 Party. The Past 80 Party became an annual event celebrating the state's octogenarians.She went on to become vice-chair of the West Virginia Commission on Aging and was appointed as a delegate to the White House Conference on Aging. In 1972, Mrs. McQuade's efforts resulted in President Richard Nixon proclaiming a National Shut-in Day. She also served as president of the Vocational Rehabilitation Foundation, vice-president of the West Virginia Health Systems Agency, and was appointed to the Nursing Home Licensing Board, among many other involvements.In 1970, Mrs. McQuade ran for United States House of Representatives in West Virginia 's 5th Congressional District. She was an alternate delegate to the Republican National Convention from West Virginia in 1972. Also in 1972, she was a candidate for West Virginia State Senate 11th District.Mrs. McQuade's efforts on behalf of the elderly and in the establishment of National Grandparents Day have been recognized through numerous honors. In 1976, Mrs. McQuade received a citation as one of 10 West Virginia Women of Accomplishment and in 1981 she was designated Whitman's Chocolates' Grandparent of the Year. The U.S. Postal Service issued a commemorative envelope bearing Mrs. McQuade's likeness in 1989 for the tenth anniversary of National Grandparents Day. On the 25th anniversary of the first West Virginia observance of the holiday, new West Virginia state highway signs were erected outside her hometown, announcing Oak Hill , West Virginia as the 'Home of Marian McQuade, Founder of National Grandparents Day.'

      Mrs. McQuade is survived by her children Shirley McQuade Davis of Beckley, WV; DJ McQuade Lancaster of Chula Vista, CA; Dan McQuade of East Haddam, CT; Charles (Darby) McQuade of Santa Fe, NM; Patricia McQuade of Watsonville, CA; Tom McQuade of Charlotte, NC; David McQuade of North Hollywood, CA; Ruth McQuade of Shepherdstown, WV; Mary McQuade of Carmel, CA; George McQuade of Sun City, CA; Margaret McQuade Salimi of Oak Hill, WV; Michael McQuade of Santa Fe, NM; Kathleen McQuade Eye of Oak Hill, WV. She is also survived by her sister, Vida Herndon Albert; and brothers, Robert Herndon and Harry Herndon; as well as her 43 grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren; and three great-great grandchildren.She is preceded in death by her husband, Joe L. McQuade; her sons Joel Herndon McQuade and William Robert McQuade; her brothers, J.W. Herndon and Charles Herndon; and her sisters, Eva Lee Herndon and Virginia Herndon Cater.

      The service will be held on 11 a.m. on Monday, September 29, 2008, at Oak Hill Baptist Church with the Rev. David Sneed and Pastor Jerry Bush officiating. Burial will be at High Lawn Memorial Park in Oak Hill.Visitation will be held at Tyree Funeral Home from 5 to 7 p.m. on Sunday, September 28, 2008.In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The West Virginia Alzheimer's Association, 1111 Lee St., Charleston, WV 25301. Her family also asks that in honor of Marian McQuade's work on behalf of the elderly, please pass on family histories to grandchildren, visit with the elderly or volunteer at a local nursing home. As Marian always said, "Make every day Grandparents Day."For more information on Mrs. McQuade and National Grandparents Day visit www.grandparents-day.com.
      Arrangements are by Tyree Funeral Home, Oak Hill, WV.
    Burial 29 Sep 2008  High Lawn Memorial Park, Oak Hill, Fayette, West Virginia, USA Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Agency: High Lawn Memorial Park  
    Address:
    1435 East Main Street
    Oak Hill, WV 25901
    USA
    (304) 469-3283
    hlfuneralhome@gmail.com
    www.highlawnfuneralhomechapel.com/ 
    Person ID I3091  Walters Genealogy
    Last Modified 2 May 2025 

    Family Joseph Leo McQuade,   b. 19 Feb 1915, Minden, Fayette, West Virginia, United States Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 17 Mar 2001, Oak Hill, Fayette, West Virginia, United States Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 86 years) 
    Marriage 3 Feb 1936  Oak Hill, Fayette, West Virginia, United States Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Marriage License 3 Feb 1936  , Raleigh, West Virginia, United States Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Joseph Leo McQuade and Helen Lucille Herndon - Marriage Licesnse    		 Joseph Leo McQuade and Helen Lucille Herndon - Marriage Licesnse
    Newspaper Article 26 Feb 1974  Beckley, Raleigh, West Virginia, United States Find all individuals with events at this location 
    The Beckley Post-Herald 
    Joe McQuades Have First Family Loss    		 Joe McQuades Have First Family Loss
    Children 
       1. Female Shirley Donnelly McQuade,   b. 19 Oct 1936, Oak Hill, Fayette, West Virginia, United States Find all individuals with events at this location
       2. Female Dona Jo McQuade,   b. Abt 1938, , , West Virginia, United States Find all individuals with events at this location
    +  3. Male Joel Herndon McQuade,   b. 3 May 1940, Morgantown, Monongalia, West Virginia, United States Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 23 May 1979, Dallas, Dallas, Texas, United States Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 39 years)
       4. Male Paul Daniel McQuade,   b. Jun 1941, , , West Virginia, United States Find all individuals with events at this location
       5. Male Charles Henry McQuade,   b. 15 Oct 1942, , , West Virginia, United States Find all individuals with events at this location
       6. Female Patricia Evelyn McQuade,   b. Nov 1943, , , West Virginia, United States Find all individuals with events at this location
       7. Female Ruth Ann McQuade,   b. 8 Apr 1944, , , West Virginia, United States Find all individuals with events at this location
       8. Male Thomas Allen McQuade,   b. Aug 1945, , , West Virginia, United States Find all individuals with events at this location
       9. Male William Robert McQuade,   b. 8 May 1947, Richwood, Nicholas, West Virginia, United States Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 19 Feb 1974, Dallas, Dallas, Texas, United States Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 26 years)
     10. Male Michael Patrick McQuade,   b. 1 Sep 1949, , , West Virginia, United States Find all individuals with events at this location
     11. Male David Ray McQuade,   b. Sep 1950, , , West Virginia, United States Find all individuals with events at this location
     12. Female Dr. Mary Virginia McQuade,   b. Jan 1951, , , West Virginia, United States Find all individuals with events at this location
     13. Male George Richard McQuade,   b. 4 Oct 1952, , , West Virginia, United States Find all individuals with events at this location
     14. Female Margaret Lucille McQuade,   b. 5 Feb 1954, , , West Virginia, United States Find all individuals with events at this location
     15. Female Kathleen Elizabeth McQuade,   b. Jun 1956, , , West Virginia, United States Find all individuals with events at this location
    Family ID F1209  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 16 Apr 2016 

  • Event Map
    Link to Google MapsBirth - 18 Jan 1917 - Caperton, Fayette, West Virginia, United States Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsMarriage - 3 Feb 1936 - Oak Hill, Fayette, West Virginia, United States Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsMarriage License - 3 Feb 1936 - , Raleigh, West Virginia, United States Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsNewspaper Article - The Beckley Post-Herald - 26 Feb 1974 - Beckley, Raleigh, West Virginia, United States Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsDeath - 26 Sep 2008 - Hilltop, Fayette, West Virginia, United States Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsBurial - Agency: High Lawn Memorial Park ,Address:
    1435 East Main Street
    Oak Hill, WV 25901
    USA
    (304) 469-3283
    hlfuneralhome@gmail.com
    www.highlawnfuneralhomechapel.com/ - 29 Sep 2008 - High Lawn Memorial Park, Oak Hill, Fayette, West Virginia, USA    		 Link to Google Earth
     = Link to Google Earth 

  • Headshots
    Marion Lucille (Herndon) McQuade    		Marion Lucille (Herndon) McQuade
  





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