Marie Mackell was a most exceptional and accomplished woman. Right out of high school, she landed a job that would lead to her becoming an officer of the company. By her early forties she’d made enough money to be able to retire, which she did when the company dissolved. Marie had proven herself to herself in every area but one-earning an academic degree. With some amount of self-doubt and trepidation, she started her scholastic journey at Bucks County Community College and very soon amazed herself with her high degree of understanding of all the subjects presented and her exemplary grades.
BCCC is where Edie and Marie met-Edie was pursuing liberal arts; Marie, business. They complemented each other so well, they formed a study team for the two Biology courses they took together. The two friends were very nearly inseparable during those years-so much so, that Marie tried to convince Edie that they should go onto law school together. But Edie’s passion was the arts and so Marie went on to Drexel University to earn a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance, and Edie went to the University of PA to earn her Bachelor of Arts in English.
Tragically, five years after Marie received her long-sought after degree, she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of lung cancer that had already spread to her brain by the time it was discovered. She fought the disease bravely, toughing out its ravages with grace and dignity. It was Edie’s privilege to care for Marie throughout her illness until her death.
A year later, with the inheritance Marie left her, Edie bought a Lyon & Healy Salzedo concert grand harp, and quite suddenly found herself in the world of classical harp-a world she’d left twenty-eight years earlier. Edie’s return to the harp world gradually led to her founding Bedside Harp and so to honor her friend’s memory, Edie was moved to name all Bedside Harp Therapy harps made by Blevins after Marie Mackell.