Marie Bernadette Markward

Marie Bernadette Markward passed peacefully in her sleep at the Arden Courts of Kensington Memory Care Facility on February 18, 2026, just after her 87th birthday.

Marie was born in Brooklyn, NY on Feb 3, 1939, to William Philip Gorini and Anna Maria Gorini (nee Sanzone). She was an only child, but she grew up surrounded by her many first cousins in the extended family. Marie went to parochial elementary school and Catholic all-girls high school before completing her degree in nutrition sciences at Hunter College of New York City. She worked as a hospital dietitian before marrying Anthony Carmen Olivieri in 1962 with whom she had two daughters.

Marie was widowed in 1965 and spent the next 9 years in New York raising her daughters until she moved her family to Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1974, determined to make a better life for her children. It took courage and faith to move across the country as a single parent. It was there she met her second husband, Ralph Markward. They wed in 1979 and had 23 loving years together, half of them in the New Mexico mountains. Ralph passed away in 2002.  Marie lived in New Mexico for 5 more years until she moved to North Carolina to be closer to her second daughter. She lived there until 2023 when she moved to Maryland.

Marie was funny, loyal, and loving to her family and many friends. She loved reading mysteries, playing cards, and spoiling her grandkids. Her laugh was contagious.  Despite living with dementia, her personality still radiated. She was well liked by both staff and residents at Arden Courts. She will be greatly missed by family and friends.

Marie is survived by her daughters, Catherine Ann Penafiel and Jean Marie Olivieri; son-in-law Miguel Penafiel; and three grandchildren, Christina, Adriana (Meghan), and Michael Penafiel.

A Mass of Christian Burial at Holy Cross Catholic Church, 4900 Strathmore Ave, Kensington, MD will be held on Thursday, March 5th at 12 noon. There will be a Visitation in the church from 11am to 12 noon. She will be interred in Santa Fe, NM.

Donations in Marie’s honor may be made to Food for the Poor, 6401 Lyons Road, Coconut Creek, FL 33073-3602,  http://www.foodforthepoor.org, 800-427-9104; or to the Jewish Social Services Agency Hospice program, 6123 Montrose Road, Rockville, MD 20852, https://www.jssa.org/services/hospice/caregiver-support/