01/22/2024
OBITUARY OF
MARION TYSON
Final Draft Approved by Family (6.10.23)
Marion Ivadelle Norma Tyson, a Baton Rouge native and former resident, departed this life on May 24, 2023 in Glendale, California, following an extended illness. She was 90 years old.
A longtime educator and passionate children’s advocate, she was born on December 19, 1932 in Baton Rouge, the youngest of the two children of the late Olivia Byrd Tyson and Straudy Austin Tyson. Upon her graduation from Southern University Laboratory School, Marion attended Southern University, where she received a B.S. in Psychology in 1954 . She earned a Master’s Degree in Child Guidance and Development from Indiana University’s School of Social Work in 1956, one of its first AfricanAmerican graduates. She accepted a social worker position at the Louisiana State School for the Deaf in Baton Rouge,La becoming proficient in sign language. Shortly thereafter she accepted the position at Mound Bayou Junior College in Mississippi, and shortly thereafter her new teaching career carried her to Cincinnati, Ohio, teaching at the historic Stowe School, where she developed her skills and passion for special education, working with physically and mentally handicapped students.
When Marion returned to Baton Rouge, she joined the East Baton Rouge Parish School System as a special education teacher, initially at Glasgow Elementary School, where she implemented teaching methods replicated throughout the System. Marion was a dedicated educator in Baton Rouge for 31 years until her retirement in 1987. At the invitation of her brother, Dr. Bertrand O. Tyson, she relocated to Pasadena, California, where she also joined her son, Quentin Burnell Simms, Esq., who had begun his law practice there. She worked at the family owned Tyson Group Home, the Los Angeles County Department of Children’s Services, and the Optimus Boys Home Foster Family Agency during her residence in California. In 1997, she was a founding officer of the Denell Children’s Homes, Inc. She retired in 1999 after her healthdeclined due to heart related issues. Marion was a member of the Louisiana Association of Retired Teachers and the Eastern Star organization. She was preceded in death by her parents, her brother, and her former husband, Wilbert Simms.
She leaves to celebrate her memory her son Quentin, with whom she shared a mutually
devoted relationship throughout her life; numerous nieces and nephews, including Lisa Tyson, Celeste Tyson, Bertrand Tyson, Jr., Michelle Tyson, Kevin Tyson, Melissa Tyson, AmberTyson, and Lee Marvin ; as well as many cousins, friends and former colleagues.
A memorial service will be announced at a later date. Those who wish to may contribute to the Special Olympics in her name. "The family " gratefully acknowledges the kindness of the staff at La Crescenta Health Care Center, where she remained until her transition.
The invaluable assistance given by her cousin , Hedi Butler, and niece, Lisa Tyson, is much appreciated.
