Honoring Service: Veteran Marcia Elizabeth Beach, WWII
Our reporting on local veterans is a collaboration with RyeVets.org to highlight those from Rye who have served our country across times of war and peace. There are over 2,100 veterans from the City of Rye. Learn more about how you can help research and write biographies of those that have served.
Marcia Elizabeth Beach was born on September 28, 1923, in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Her parents were Inez Eleanor Kimball, age 36, and Harold Virgil Beach, age 36. She had two sisters named Ruth and Helen. When they resided in Rye, New York, they lived at Highland Hall and were members of the Church of the Resurrection.
Date of Birth: 9/28/1923
Died On: 27-Jul-98
Street Address: Highland Hall
Service Number: unknown
Branch of Service: Hospital Corps of the WAVES-WWII
During World War II, Marcia enlisted and served in the Hospital Corps of the WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service). WAVES was the U.S. Naval Reserve Women’s branch established on July 21, 1942, to provide more sea duty sailors and officers by replacing men stationed ashore. Marcia was stationed at the U.S. Naval Air Station Dispensary in Patuxent River, MD, during the war.
After graduating from Williamsport Dickinson Junior College in the class of 1942, Marcia attended the Nursing School of Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York before enlisting in the WAVES.
On January 29, 1945, at the age of 21, Marcia married William Mount Perrine in Rye, New York. They had two children during their marriage but later divorced in 1952 in Dade City, Florida, after eight years together. Marcia was 29 years old at the time of the divorce.
Marcia eventually settled in Florida and remarried. She became a noted speaker at Veterans Day events, sharing her experiences. However, on July 27, 1998, at the age of 74, Marcia Elizabeth Beach passed away. More on Beach.
