Marissa Anne Richardson

Marissa Anne Richardson, 87, died December 15, 2023 at Havenwood in Concord, NH.

She was born February 3, 1936, in Philadelphia, PA.  Her father was a U.S. Navy officer and her mother a social worker.  After moving many times, her family settled in Alexandria, VA.

Marissa graduated from Radcliffe College in 1958.  She was a Winant Volunteer in London and worked in Washington D.C. and Cambridge, MA for nonprofit organizations assisting international students.

Marissa and her husband, Jonathan E. Chorlian, moved to Durham, NH, in 1968, where she lived for 33 years.  She made and sold silkscreen prints and worked as a graphic designer.  She made her home a welcoming place to many international students at the University of New Hampshire.  After divorcing, she and Jonathan remained close friends and cooperative parents.  Marissa returned to work at UNH, ultimately becoming its international student advisor.  She earned graduate degrees in counseling and linguistics from UNH.  She spent time in Germany on a Fulbright grant and taught English in Shenyang, China, through the State Department.  Her proudest professional accomplishment was creating the international center at UNH’s Smith Hall.

At age 52, Marissa began a Ph.D. program in communications at UMass-Amherst.  She earned that degree in 1993, three years after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.  She remained in Durham for another decade thanks to the support of her friends and neighbors.  During that period, she renewed her love of art, painting prolifically in her studio in the woods. 

Marissa moved to Heritage Heights in 2001 and then to Havenwood in 2006, where she received compassionate and skilled care.  Her dear Durham friends – Nancy, Judy, and Annie – ensured that their decades-long friendship remained strong by visiting regularly.      

As Marissa rekindled a strong faith in God, she and her friend Geri talked and prayed every day for the last 20 years.

Marissa lived with Parkinson’s for nearly 35 years.  Following her positive example, throughout that time she and her family and friends found much love, joy, and laughter in one another’s company. 

Marissa is survived by her children and their spouses: Jon and Meg Chorlian of Concord, NH, and Sarah and David Kearns of Middlebury, VT; five grandchildren: Andrew Chorlian, Matt Chorlian, Devon Kearns, Amanda Kearns, and Will Chorlian; brother, John Richardson of Arlington, VA; and sister, Lucy Meadows, of Milton, MA.

There will be a service to remember and celebrate Marissa’s life at the Durham (NH) Community Church on Saturday, January 6 at 1 pm.