Arthur Marcell

He was born on May 15, 1944, in Norway, the only son of the late Arthur and Lucille (Giacherio) Marcell Sr.

Art graduated from Norway High School in 1962, and attended Western Michigan University on a baseball scholarship, where he earned a bachelor degree in business education, with a minor in physical education. He later went on to receive a master’s degree in math from Eastern Michigan University.

His teaching career spanned over three and a half decades — first in Wisconsin Rapids for two years and then he accepted a position at Oxford High School in lower Michigan, where he remained until his retirement.

As a boy growing up in a small town, Art surrounded himself with sports activities of many kinds: baseball, skating, fishing, biking and swimming. As he grew older, he added basketball, football and hunting. He was a born athlete and outdoorsman.

Over the years he began to realize that his favorite leisure sport was hunting whitetail deer and pheasants, from which he acquired many trophy mounts. His favorite competitive sport became baseball, where he developed and excelled playing Babe Ruth and Connie Mack.

In high school with no baseball team at Norway at that time, Art played quarterback on the football team and forward on the basketball team. As a junior he was selected on the all-state second team and as a senior he made all-state first team for basketball, a first for someone at Norway High School at that time! By the time he graduated from high school, his baseball talent brought him several major league offers, but his dad said, “college first.”

At Western Michigan, he played mostly shortstop all four years and at Eastern he helped coach their baseball team to a Division I Championship, something he was very proud of, too. Through all his years of teaching, you could find him coaching at least one or two of the Oxford Wildcats ball teams.

Upon his retirement, Art decided to return to his northern roots, where most of his family was, and chose a home and property in Suamico, where he resided for over 23 years. During the first several years of his retirement he substitute taught and volunteered his help with the ball teams at Bay Port High School in the Howard-Suamico School District.

Art is survived by his three sisters, for whom he would do anything: Charlene (Thomas) McCarthy, Jo Anne (Glenn) Pearson and Jean Anne (James) Bonetti; his number one nephew, Mark McCarthy; nieces Maribeth (Kevin) Braspennickx, Pamela (Dave) Westphal, Mindy (Andy) Mokszycke, Brianna Bonetti and Melanie (Danny) DiFrancesco; great-nephews Bryce, Hunter, Bennett and Camden; and great-nieces McKenna, Madelyn and Mia.

Art’s loved ones wish to thank Woodside Villa and Unity Hospice for the loving care given to “Coach” and the warm compassion shown to the family.

Family will greet relatives and friends on Wednesday, Feb. 4, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. at St. Mary Catholic Church in Norway.

A Memorial Mass will be celebrated on Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. at the church with Father Abraham Mupparathara officiating.

Interment will be held at the Norway Township Cemetery in the spring.

Condolences to the family of Art may be expressed online at www.ortmanfuneralhome.com.

Arrangements were made with the Ortman Funeral Home in Norway.