Marcella Cameron Aldridge

Marcella Cameron Aldridge, born April 11, 1936, in Tampa, Florida, died on November 22, 2020, in Durham, North Carolina, at the age of 84. Her parents were Myra Morton Aldridge of South Creek, North Carolina, and Miriam Margaret Cameron Aldridge of Jacksonville, Florida. Her mother was a painter and former school teacher; her father was a dredging boat captain with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. During World War II, the family lived in Cape May, New Jersey, and St. Augustine, Florida, before returning to Jacksonville. Marcella graduated from Andrew Jackson High School before attending Jacksonville University and the University of Florida, where she graduated magna cum laude with a degree in business administration. She later received a master’s degree from Virginia Tech in clinical psychology. She served most of her professional career as a high school teacher and guidance counselor in Fairfax County, Virginia. She loved spending time with family more than anything, particularly at the beach, though she also loved a long mountain hike. She knew the name of most every tree, plant, bird, reptile. Her primary hobbies were gardening, birding, and genealogy, and she had many intellectual interests, especially in archaeology, history, and literature. Marcella was a person of deep affection and strong loyalty who was committed to her children and grandchildren; her close friends; and during their lifetimes, to her parents; her grandmother, Jeannie Louise Cox Cameron; and her uncles John Allan Cameron and Donald Hugh Cameron and their wives. She is survived by her children, Alexa Dilworth and Robert Dilworth; their spouses, Alan DuBois and Lea Bingham; and four grandchildren, Cameron, Alex, Gwen, and Ellie. The family will hold a private service in St. Augustine next year. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the New Hope Audubon Society, P.O. Box 2693, Chapel Hill, NC 27715, or https://www.newhopeaudubon.org/ways-to-help/donate/ (kindly note “Marcella Aldridge memorial gift”).