Marion Stump

Marion Stump, 82, of Lynchburg, VA, affectionately known by many as "Mama Stump," passed away peacefully on November 21st, at home holding the hand of her beloved partner of 47 years, Phil. She is survived by her three beloved children, Claire, Katie, and David; their partners Charles, Matt, and Lauren; her grandchildren Isabella, Samuel, Silas, Ellie, Dalton, Jackson, and Stanley. She is also survived by a beloved sister, Carolyn, her partner John, and their two children, Sarah and Joshua, and many cousins. She has crossed over to join her parents and her brothers, George and David.

Marion was born May 14, 1943, in Jackson, Tennessee, the daughter of Herbert and Eleanor Hunt. She grew up in Cincinnati and lived in India, Switzerland, and the San Francisco Bay Area before moving to Lynchburg with Phil in 1980.

Marion was a survivor and a fighter who spent her life fighting to empower people with physical disabilities as a physical therapist and young women as a Girl Scout leader. She survived polio at age 3 at the same time her brother, George, age 5, died in the same epidemic. The wonderful care of a physical therapist made Marion aware at this early age of her calling to be a physical therapist, which she pursued relentlessly through education at campuses of the University of California at Davis and San Francisco. She became the director of physical therapy, occupational therapy, recreational and speech therapy at Children's Hospital in Oakland, California, where she supervised more than forty therapists for numerous years.

In Virginia she continued as a physical therapist at Virginia Baptist Hospital, working mostly with seniors in home health care. Her other great passion here, alongside travel, tea parties, and making beautiful cards through stamping, was as a Girl Scout leader. Over almost forty years she mentored hundreds of young Girl Scouts of very diverse backgrounds, later watching them achieve great success in their lives and careers, and training scores of Girl Scout leaders. She was passionately committed to racial and social justice and to women's empowerment and gender equity.

In Lynchburg, Marion has been an active member of First Presbyterian and First Christian churches. The family would like to extend special thanks to all her friends, neighbors, church family, and fellow Scouting co-leaders, especially her service unit leader, Rebecca, her first co-leaders, Melissa and Debbie, and her current co-leader, Heather, and to her medical team, Dr. David Cannon, and the Centra Home Health and Hospice teams.

Marion's service will be held at First Christian Church, 3109 Rivermont Ave in Lynchburg, VA on Saturday, April 4th, 2026, at 11am. A Celebration of Life will be held after the service at Girl Scout Camp Sacajawea. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Girl Scout Camp Sacajawea. To donate, please go to www.mamastump.com, which will redirect you to the Girl Scouts of Virginia Skyline Council's donation page. In the "Gift designation, or reference, if applicable" box, type "Camp Sacajawea".

Tharp Funeral Home & Crematory, Lynchburg, is assisting the family.