| Sarah Jane Marschner
LEE - Sarah Jane Marschner was born on November 1, 1949 in Greenwich Hospital, Greenwich, CT. She was the youngest of four children born to Mary Alice (Ball) Marschner and Donald C. Marschner, PhD. Sarah Jane died on August 26, 2022 in Lee, NH where she resided.
Sarah was educated initially in the Greenwich and Darien, CT public school systems. She graduated from the Oyster River High School, in Durham, NH which she attended after her parents moved to Durham, NH in 1962. Sarah graduated from the University of Rhode Island with a major in Acting and a minor in French in 1972. After receiving a Master of Arts Degree from the Department of Education at UNH, Sarah started her teaching career at Newmarket Junior High School teaching English and Reading to 7th and 8th graders. She also coached the drama club. Sarah worked in the Newmarket School System for fourteen more years.
Sarah was encouraged to teach an afternoon class in musical theater at UNH and was hired in 1992 as a member of the faculty to teach full time. For the next twenty-seven years, Sarah taught the History of Musical Theater and Introduction to the Theater to undergraduate students. She also wrote and directed productions for The Little Red Wagon, where she and UNH students traveled to schools, summer camps, and libraries to expose young children to live theatrical performances. Sarah wrote two books that were used in her classes at UNH and other colleges and youth programs: History of Musical Theater and Curtains Up! The latter is a workbook written for teachers and coaches to use in their classes. Sarah retired from the University of New Hampshire in 2019 and was honored by being awarded the title of Principal Lecturer Emerita.
While teaching, Sarah also enjoyed being involved in local community theater. She performed in dramatic and musical summer theater at the Hackmatack Playhouse as well as Directing the Children’s Theater Program there. Sarah was active in other local theaters and made many lifelong friends as a result. In addition to Hackmatack, Sarah performed in the Prescott Park Arts Festival, with the Garrison Players in Dover, the Lakeside (Bow) Players in Strafford, Arts Rochester (NH), and The Mill Pond Center of the Arts in Durham.
Sarah loved being a teacher and the students she taught at all grade levels. Her goal was to increase awareness of live theater so that students would at some point in their lives decide to take part in community theater. She introduced them to live theater as an enjoyable activity as well as to the many ways they could participate in the productions.
Sarah Jane was pre-deceased by her parents Donald and Mary Alice Marschner and her sister-in-law, Patricia Myers Marschner. She is survived by two sisters, Mary Ball M. Doherty and Johanna Alice M. Gwinn, and one brother, Timothy Condit Marschner. Sarah had a special place in her heart for her eight nieces and nephews: Peter Doherty, James, Mark and Craig Gwinn, and Tim Jr., Alison, Kristin and Kimberly Marschner. In recent years Sarah was also able to meet and spend time with thirteen grandchildren of the next generation.
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