Marie Blocker, always cared for others

MARIE Blocker seemed to have been born to serve others.

For one thing, there was the career she chose - nursing.

And then, there was her role in her North Philadelphia neighborhood, where her door was always open to anyone who needed a listening ear and wise guidance.

Marie Blocker, a licensed practical nurse for four decades whose career took on special challenges during her 25 years at the Philadelphia State Hospital at Byberry, and the matriarch of an extended family for whom she was the guiding spirit, died Oct. 10. She was 96.

Working at Byberry must have afforded Marie with unusual experiences, because the ancient instituton was often in crisis, the subject of numerous investigations of mistreatment of the mentally ill.

But she liked being there, even though she had to take two buses every day from North Philadelphia to the far reaches of the Northeast.

"She enjoyed it because it gave her the opportunity to be of service to other people, which was one of the fundamental guiding principles of Mom's life," said her son, Tyree Blocker, a former Pennsylvania State Police major and now a public-safety consultant to Trinidad and Tobago.

Marie retired in 1986, a year before Byberry was closed.

She was born in Tennel, Ga., the ninth of 14 children of Hickory T. Johnson and Mary B. Hunt.

She came to Philadelphia as a youngster and, after attending public schools, enrolled in the nursing program at the former Osteopathic Hospital. She worked at a number of area hospitals before starting at Byberry in 1965.

She and Gus Blocker were married in 1932, and bought a house in North Philadelphia in 1954.

Marie soon became a popular figure in the community, where she became a focus for those looking for a home away from home.

"Her home was really one of the focal points of her life," her son said. "She made people feel comfortable. Everyone knew Mom in the neighborhood. She was a listener. People confided in her, and she was never judgmental as she shared her wisdom and guidance.

"All of her children were proud that they came from an intact family. Our mother and father worked together to make a home for us. We really credit our upbringing for the positiveness we have in life. They were great role models."

Her husband died in 1980. Besides her son, she is survived by two daughters, Rosalie Rogers and Jacqueline Lightfoot; 21 grandchildren, 30 great-grandchildren and six great-great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by four sons, Ronald, Raymond, John and Henry.

Services: Funeral Mass 11 a.m. tomorrow at Our Lady of Hope Church, 19th and Tioga streets. Friends may call at 9 a.m. Burial will be in Ivy Hill Cemetery.