Thursday, April 27, 2023, Marlene was surrounded by family when she peacefully moved on to be with our Lord. Marlene Ambrose France, 88, was born Aug. 17, 1934, in Belle Vernon, to her father, Charles Ambrose, and mother, Edith Vizza Ambrose. She always remained a devout Roman Catholic. She graduated from Bel-Mar High School in 1952. Marlene earned her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from California State Teachers College in 1956. On June 29, 1958, Marlene married Jack Henson France of Monongahela/Donora at St. Sebastian Church in Belle Vernon. They were the second couple to ever have been married at St. Sebastian. Marlene has four sons: John (Beth) of Masontown, W.Va., James of Pittsburgh (and former daughter-in-law, Karen Russo Donovan), Charles (Christina) of Orlando, Fla., and Richard (Tammy) of Taipei, Taiwan. Marlene’s grandchildren include John (Dana) of Denver, Colo., Alexendra (Jordan) Gozdzialski of Boulder, Colo., Charles of Morgantown, W.Va., Megan (Ryan) Toronto, Canada, Maya of Pittsburgh, Nicholas of Pittsburgh, Dominic of Austin, Texas, Natalie of Orlando, Fla., Rachel of Orlando, Fla., and Farrah and Brady of Taipei, Taiwan. Marlene’s great-grandchildren are Henson and Bennett of Denver, Colo. Marlene was preceded in death by her parents; her brother, Fidel (Jean) Ambrose; sister, Betty Jean Vargo; and brother-in-law, Albert Vargo. Marlene started her elementary school teaching career in 1956 in Monessen and finished by teaching for nearly 20 years as a preschool teacher at the Mon Valley YMCA, where she provided great care and much love for all of her students. Marlene coached the Pittsburgh Steelers from her season tickets seats since 1971, and directed Coach Noll, Coach Cowher and Coach Tomlin on the necessary adjustments needed for winning. Marlene was an avid skier, spending many weekends at Seven Springs. She also enjoyed golfing all over southwestern Pennsylvania, Ohio and Hilton Head, S.C. Marlene supported several organizations including St. Jude’s, March of Dimes, Special Olympics and several Catholic charities. Marlene was a member of several card clubs and bridge clubs as well as a longtime member of Mon Valley Country Club. Her ashes will be enshrined at Monongahela Cemetery at a later date. In lieu of flowers and cards, please donate via the GoFundMe account to the Mon Valley YMCA PreSchool Program (Lee Supply Co. Inc. Child Learning Center) or a charity of your choosing, https://www.gofundme.com/f/donation-to-mon-valley-ymca-in-memory-of-marlene.
