Eleanor Marquard Dies; Active in Church

Eleanor Edith Marquard, a San Diego native known best for her work as a parish caller for St. James-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church, died of a heart attack Saturday at Mission Bay Memorial Hospital at the age of 62.

Marquard, a longtime La Jolla resident, was a parish caller for 12 years from 1960 to 1972. Though parish callers are no longer used at the church, a church member who knew Marquard said the job involved visiting members of the church, focusing primarily on new members and prospective members.

“She just did a superb job. She really had a gift for organization . . . She was very energetic . . . She certainly added a lot to St. James,” said Millie Wolfe, a church secretary who worked with Marquard for seven years.

Born in Hillcrest as Eleanor Edith Nead, Marquard attended Florence Elementary School and Roosevelt Junior High, and graduated from San Diego High School in 1940. Two years later she married Wendell B. Marquard.

Aside from being a parish caller, Marquard was active in other women’s groups in the church.

Marquard is survived by her husband, a retired financial analyst; two sons, Michael M. Marquard of Bakersfield and Judson B. Marquard of Encinitas; a sister, Dorothy Huckins of San Diego, and two grandchildren.