Marie Louise Apsey

Marie O’Hara Apsey gave the world love, light, and compassion. She was unshakable when faced with adversity, and was a fierce champion of those who did not believe they had one. 

Originally from Skaneateles, New York, Marie started her journey when she graduated from Satellite High School in 1968, then from the University of South Florida with a degree in Sociology. Following graduation, she was director of the Victim Assistance Program for Older Adults at Northside Community Mental Health Center in Tampa, Florida. In this role she pioneered protections and services to help the most vulnerable of us who often lack advocates. It was not uncommon for many victims to call her at home seeking reassurance, or just needed to hear a friendly voice. It was important to Marie that each individual feel heard and loved; that everyone be afforded decency and compassion. 

When Marie moved with her family to Satellite Beach, Florida in 1992, she began her role as office manager at the High Stack Gordon law firm where she would work continuously until her passing. She viewed her colleagues as family, sharing in their trials and triumphs. She also provided support for the local suicide hotline for several years in the evenings. 

She was loved dearly by her two sons, Edward Eugene Apsey and Chadwick Martin Apsey. Both sons adored her. For them, she was a fountain of unconditional love and taught them what it means to be a force for good in the world. Even in the darkest times for her family, she was the light that promised a better tomorrow. She also spent nearly 30 years as a second mother to Margaret Alice Capps. Marie and Maggie were both impossibly selfless, loyal, and cared deeply for one another as family.

 As much as she loved her sons, her favorite role was when she became ‘Mimi’ after her granddaughter, Lillian Bliss Allgood, was born. She loved spending time with Lilly and had an instant connection that would last forever. Mimi was part grandmother, part mother, and constant advisor. When her grandson, Odin Hideyoshi Apsey, was born, it was time to be the best Mimi she could be for him. They shared a love of animals, jokes, and being barefoot. 

It may seem odd to mention this last group of mourners, but those who visited her home know these folks well: the many frogs, lizards, snakes, birds, and opossums who lived in her yard for many generations. She will not miss the squirrels; they can go bury their peanuts somewhere else. 

Her yard was her life’s project beyond her children and grandchildren. Some of the plants in her yard are older than her sons and made the trip from Tampa to Melbourne. The elephant ears are nearly to scale of an African elephant’s ear, bromeliads multiply like rabbits, and a multitude of tiny pots of aloe save the day for unlucky visitors who underestimate the Florida sun. From the moment Marie came home from work on Friday her shoes and socks came off, and she was determined to keep them off until Monday morning. 

She loved being in the outdoors, whether it was her yard, the beach, on a motorcycle, or listening to live music on a patio. The trunk of her car always had the signature sand that follows every beachcomber home. Wind chimes were the soundtrack to her yard, occasionally joined by sounds of Stevie Ray Vaughan, Fleetwood Mac, Motown hits, or yacht rock.She is still with us all: her energy, teachings, and memories. Mimi now joins her late husband, Martin James Apsey, whom she missed dearly.

She leaves behind her siblings, Emily Collins of Indialantic, Florida, Helen Erdman, of Wilkes-Barre Township, Pennsylvania, Dana O’Hara, of Odenton, Maryland, Mark O’Hara of Keswick, Virginia, Sarah O’Hara, of Syracuse, New York, and Steve O’Hara of Melbourne, Florida; her children, Chadwick Apsey of Melbourne, Florida, and Edward Apsey of Potomac Falls, Virginia; her grandchildren, Lillian Allgood of Orlando, Florida and Odin Apsey of Potomac Falls, Virginia.