I had the pleasure of working with Marcella 'Marcy' Dalsey, who along with Inquirer co-owner Lewis Katz perished in a private plane crash May 31.
I never met the five other people on board who also lost their lives (may they rest in peace). But I knew Katz (read my column here) for decades. And as communications director of Volunteers of America Delaware Valley six years ago, I worked on several projects with Dalsey.
The former Eagles cheerleader, mother of four, and Haddonfield entrepreneur was a bright, down-to-earth, and energetic woman whose enthusiasm really was contagious. "She was a real go-getter," says Debbie Brown, who lives in Moorestown and volunteered with Dalsey at charity thrift shops in Camden and elsewhere. "She knew how to get things done."
I'll say: I last saw Dalsey last year at the Collinsgwood PATCO station. We shared a seat on a train to Center City, and she spoke -- with deep knowledge, passion, and compassion -- about the charter school she recently had co-founded, with Katz, in Camden.
I was impressed by her commitment, her sensitivity to the needs of urban kids, and her optimism. Dalsey was determined to make it work, and if anyone could make success happen, she could.
"In her role as executive director of the Drew A. Katz Foundation, Marcy Dalsey was an enthusiastic champion for many causes," Liz Thomas, of Thomas/Boyd Communications, said in a statement. "We worked closely with her on a number of projects throughout Camden and had the good fortune to have just met with her last Friday. She cared deeply about Camden and her commitment and spirit in moving projects forward will be greatly missed."
"She was very selfless," Brown says, adding, "it's a big loss."
It is indeed.
(There will be a memorial service for Marcy Dalsey beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 7, at the Knowledge A to Z Katz Academy Charter School, 1725 Park Blvd, Camden, NJ 08103).
--KEVIN RIORDAN