Deloris Marshall

Prayer and Notice to Family, Friends, and Community
Heavenly Father,

We come before You first in humility and gratitude. We thank You for the gift of life, for the years You granted to Deloris Marshall, and for the legacy of faith, service, and love she leaves behind. As we face a severe and dangerous storm expected this Sunday, we lift up every family, neighbor, and loved one reading this message. We pray for protection, wisdom, and preparedness. We ask You to cover homes, preserve life, and calm anxious hearts.

Lord, remind us that preparedness begins first in the spirit. We pray that none of our loved ones are taken too early, and we take this moment to remember that no one is promised tomorrow. If there is anyone reading this who has not yet turned to You, we pray this would be a moment of reflection, repentance, and return. Today is the day of salvation. Draw hearts to Jesus, while there is still time.
In Your holy name we pray. Amen.

Out of an abundance of caution and love for community, we ask everyone to prepare as best they can for the coming storm and to keep one another in prayer.
Funeral Services and Request to Share
Funeral services celebrating the life of Deloris Marshall will be held on Friday, January 30, 2026, at St. James A.M.E. Church, 410 Union Street, Allentown, PA 18102. Public viewing will begin at 10:00 a.m., followed by the Funeral Service at 11:00 a.m.
We kindly ask that you please share this post so it may reach all who were touched by Deloris’ life. Our hope is to gather as many people as possible to honor her legacy, especially given the challenging weather conditions many are facing.

Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Deloris Marshall
It is with profound love, gratitude, and reverence that we announce the passing of Deloris Marshall, who entered into eternal rest on January 21, 2026, at the age of 90.
Deloris Marshall, born Deloris Quarterman on May 25, 1935, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, devoted her life to faith, family, justice, and community. Her life’s work—quietly courageous, deeply principled, and relentlessly compassionate—left an enduring imprint on the City of Allentown and on generations of people whose lives were shaped by her service.
Deloris was born into a deeply spiritual family to Reverend Redfrick Quarterman and Fanny Quarterman. She was raised alongside her brother, Redford Quarterman Jr., and her sister, Essie Quarterman Curtis, in a home grounded in faith, discipline, and responsibility. When her father was called to serve as a minister at St. James AME Zion Church in the early 1950s, the family relocated from Philadelphia to Allentown, where they lived at 452½ Union Street. This move marked the beginning of Deloris’ lifelong commitment to the city she would later serve so faithfully.
“But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” — Jeremiah 29:7
From an early age, Deloris demonstrated a deep love for Jesus Christ and a commitment to serving others that would define the rest of her life. Her favorite hymn, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus,” reflected the faith she lived by—steady, compassionate, and unwavering.
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” — Colossians 3:23   
After graduating from William Allen High School in 1953, Deloris left behind a glimpse of the young woman she was already becoming. Her high school yearbook described her as: “Deloris… general… advocates… ‘knit one, purl two’… has a flair for table tennis… anticipates attending Livingston College. Music: A Cappella Choir 3.” Even then, advocacy was already part of her identity. Long before titles or recognition, she knew what God had placed in her heart, and she spent her life faithfully walking it out.
Following graduation, Deloris attended Livingston College in Salisbury, North Carolina, a historically Black Christian college affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. After one semester, she returned home due to the racism she experienced in the South. That experience was formative and enduring, profoundly shaping her resolve to confront injustice with courage, clarity, and conviction for the rest of her life.
In 1954, Deloris began working as a housekeeper in the West End of Allentown. With no car and no alternative transportation, she walked three miles each way, six miles round trip, every day to work. Along that daily walk, she passed Cedar Crest College. Seeing the campus repeatedly sparked something deeper: possibility. Because Cedar Crest was an all-women’s college, she felt a sense of safety and belonging, and it inspired her to pursue higher education.
In 1955, Deloris enrolled at Cedar Crest College, often walking that same three-mile route, at times through open fields, to attend classes. She was among the earliest Black women to attend the college, a quiet but courageous step that reflected both her determination and her faith. She attended during the 1955 academic year until marriage and family life temporarily paused her formal education.
During this season of her life, Deloris met Frederick Lee Marshall at Fountain Park, introduced by her sister, Essie. Their courtship led to marriage on September 29, 1956. Frederick was her first love and her only love. Upon their marriage, Frederick purchased a home at 541 Lawrence Street, where they began their life together and raised their family.
That very home later became central to one of Deloris’ most consequential seasons of advocacy. During the urban redevelopment period of the 1960s, the Allentown Redevelopment Authority sought to acquire properties in the Little Lehigh neighborhood, often offering Black homeowners far below fair market value. Deloris refused to accept injustice quietly. She organized, spoke publicly, negotiated relentlessly, and insisted that homeowners be treated not as a faceless group, but as individuals deserving dignity and fairness.
At just 28 years old, she served as President of the Little Lehigh Property Owners and Renters Organization, part of Community Action Lehigh Valley, standing at the forefront of negotiations and protests. Through her persistence and courage, Deloris helped secure better compensation for displaced homeowners. With the additional funds she fought for so tirelessly, her devoted husband was able to purchase her dream home on the South Side of Allentown, close to where he worked and later retired from Mack Trucks, a tangible reminder that standing up for what is right can change lives.
Following the birth of their first son, Erick Lynn Marshall, born in 1957, Deloris briefly assumed the role of housewife and mother. Driven by purpose, she returned to the workforce, working at the Allentown State Hospital from 1957 to 1967. Their second son, Frederick “Wayne” Marshall, was born on August 16, 1970.
In 1974, as a mother of two, Deloris returned to Cedar Crest College to complete the education she had begun nearly two decades earlier. She earned her Bachelor of Social Work degree in 1977, a testament to perseverance, discipline, and faith. That same year, she began her professional career with the Allentown Housing Authority, where she served with distinction from 1977 until her retirement in 1998.
Deloris later made history as the second Black woman to serve on the Cedar Crest Alumni Board. In recognition of her extraordinary years of social work, community service, and dedication to Allentown, she was awarded the Gold Ginkgo-Leaf Pin, the highest honor bestowed upon Cedar Crest alumni. At the time, fewer than 100 graduates had ever received this distinction.
After retiring from the Allentown Housing Authority in 1998, Deloris continued a life of extraordinary service. She worked as a medical social worker with Sacred Heart Visiting Nurses and Heartland Home Care and Hospice, served as a Benefits CheckUp Ambassador with the Retired Senior Volunteer Program, volunteered weekly with Pathways of the Lehigh County Conference of Churches, and volunteered monthly with the Yokefellow Prison Ministry, ministering to women at the Lehigh County Prison.
She also served on numerous advisory boards and commissions, including the Lehigh County Children’s Bureau Advisory Committee, the Allentown Human Relations Commission, and the Lehigh County Mental Health and Mental Retardation Advisory Board. She held leadership roles as Secretary of the Board of Directors for the Grace Community Foundation and as an Executive Board Member of the Allentown NAACP.
In addition to her civic and professional service, Deloris was for decades a devoted, current, and lifetime member of the Order of the Eastern Star. Rooted in Christian principles and Bible-based teachings, the Order of the Eastern Star emphasizes charity, moral integrity, education, and service to humanity. Its lessons draw from Scripture and the lives of faithful biblical figures, symbolizing the guiding light of the Star of Bethlehem and promoting values such as truth, compassion, and brotherly love. Deloris embraced this fellowship not as a social distinction, but as another avenue through which to live out her Christian faith, serve others, and uplift her community.
Her early advocacy and lifelong service were later honored through the arts in Another River Flows, a community theater production by Touchstone Theater that opened on June 13, 2008, at Symphony Hall in Allentown. The production explored the African American experience in the Lehigh Valley and highlighted Deloris’ work in housing justice and community leadership.
Deloris’ decades of service were widely recognized. In 2008, she was honored at the 8th Annual Tribute to Unsung Heroes by the Lehigh County Office of Aging and Adult Services and received citations from both the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and the Pennsylvania Senate. In 2019, she received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Allentown NAACP, an honor further affirmed by a citation from the Pennsylvania Senate. Over her lifetime, she also received numerous civic honors from the City of Allentown, including official proclamations, letters of recognition from successive mayors, and the Key to the City.
In her later years, Deloris’ legacy continued to be recognized publicly. She was featured alongside her son in The New York Times Sunday edition on September 10, 2023, and was honored by WFMZ Channel 69 on her 90th birthday last year, celebrating her lifetime of service and impact in the Allentown community.
Deloris was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 57 years, Frederick Lee Marshall, as well as her parents and siblings. She is survived by her two sons, Erick Lynn Marshall and Frederick Wayne Marshall; by multiple generations of grandchildren and great-grandchildren; by two great-great-grandchildren; by a beloved godson and goddaughter; and by a sister-in-law, nephews, cherished friends, and neighbors who were blessed by her presence.
Deloris passed away peacefully in her dream home, with absolutely no pain, surrounded by the comfort of a life well lived. We take comfort in knowing she is now in Heaven with her Heavenly Father, reunited with her earthly father and her beloved husband, and no doubt already advocating for something in the Kingdom.
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” — 2 Timothy 4:7
In honor of Deloris Marshall’s life and legacy, the family invites donations to Community Action Lehigh Valley, reflecting her lifelong love for Allentown and her unwavering commitment to justice and service.
Through her faith, service, and unwavering love for humanity, Deloris Marshall leaves behind a legacy that will endure for generations—a life marked by discipline, courage, and steadfast devotion to God, conscience, and community.
In lieu of flowers, we ask everyone to contribute in her honor to Community Action Lehigh Valley using this link below or the QR Code included with the photos:
https://form-renderer-app.donorperfect.io/.../calv...
“Well done, good and faithful servant.” — Matthew 25:23
Funeral services will be held on Friday, January 30, 2026, at St. James A.M.E. Church, 410 Union Street, Allentown, PA 18102. Public viewing will begin at 10:00 a.m., followed by the Funeral Service at 11:00 a.m.
Please continue to share this post so all who knew and loved Deloris may be informed and able to gather in remembrance.
Sorrowfully submitted,
The Family