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Dr. Henry Richard Marockie, 88, of Wheeling, WV passed away on Wednesday, December 13, 2023 at his home.
He was born on February 13, 1935 in Powhattan, OH and raised in Short Creek, WV son of Rose and Paul, an Austrian- Italian immigrant and local coal miner.
Marockie was a three sport Varsity Athlete and was recruited for Football and Baseball at The University of Maryland. He was drafted while at Maryland into professional baseball achieving AAA status with the Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins franchise. He then attended West Liberty State College while playing baseball, achieving a B.S. in Business Administration and went on to attend WVU to earn his Masters and Doctorate, where he met his wife, Mary, who was completing her doctorate and teaching at WVU.
He spent eleven years as WV State Superintendent of Schools from 1989. Through his leadership he placed computers in 19,500 classrooms, partnered with Bell Atlantic to establish WORLD SCHOOL, received multi-million-dollar grants, initiated the healthy schools program and served as President of the School Building Authority. He attained through his leadership, an unprecedented level of 16th place on national test scores.
Prior, Marockie spent 17 years as Superintendent of Ohio County Schools. Under his leadership, the county approved the 1973 comprehensive school bond issue under which the county's high schools were consolidated and Wheeling Park High School was created. Wheeling Middle School, Woodsdale and Elm Grove Elementary were among other schools. He also passed a bond issue to build the Wheeling Stadium, as well as the swimming pool at WPHS, through good financial management.
During his tenure, WV schools were ranked highest in the nation in "quality", with test scores in the state at the highest level.
Marockie served on 16 boards as well as President of the Chief State School Officers, National Chair of a telecommunication project with the US Dept of Commerce, Co-Chair with Vice President Al Gore on the Learning Technology Committee in Washington, DC, as well as President of the Wheeling Rotary Club.
Marockie's honors were extensive including Distinguished West Virginian, State Superintendent of the Year, West Liberty Wall of Fame, and the Wheeling Jesuit University Ignatian Award. He was invited to speak to school superintendents in England on two occasions.
He loved talking politics at the local breakfast eateries and hosting dinners with his darling Mary at his home. He enjoyed watching his grandson, Luke, play football and baseball and could be seen around town with his signature cap on. He was proud of his Austrian-Italian heritage and was one of the founders of the Wheeling Italian Festival. He served as a member of the original Festival of Lights planning committee and at that time volunteered for the technical division of Wheeling Park High School to fabricate a portion of the lighting structures. He spoke to his daughter, Felicia, every day. He was an avid golfer known as "Longball" and a member of St. Michael's Parish and the Wheeling Country Club.
In addition to his parents, Dr. Marockie was preceded in death by his four siblings; Mary Beatrice, Florence (Chuck) Siccheri, John (Sue) Baroni & Florence (Jim) Griffith; and sisters-in-law, Eva DiTosto & Evelyn DiTosto.
He is survived by his wife, Dr. Mary Marockie; daughter, Felicia Marockie Fisher and husband, Michael; grandson, Luke; three step- grandchildren, Eric (Dori), Drew and Allison Fisher; nieces & nephews, Terry (Valerie) Griffith, Debbie (David) Bennet, Susan (Scott) Jackson, Greg Sicheri, Joanne (Steve) Meadows, and Charlene (Keith) Sicheri; cousins Pepe Massullo and the Massullo family from Italy, the Potesta and Manzi family of Charleston, the Darovec family of Atlanta and the Veltri family of Detroit.
Family and friends will be received on Sunday, December 17, 2023 from noon to 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Kepner Funeral Homes, 900 National Road, Wheeling, WV (304-232-2732) where a wake service will be held at 6:30 p.m.
Funeral mass will be held on Monday, December 18, 2023 at 11 a.m. at St. Michael's Catholic Church, 1225 National Road, Wheeling, WV with Father Carlos Melocoton, Jr. as celebrant. Entombment will follow the mass at Mt. Calvary Cemetery, Wheeling, WV.
Memorial contributions may be made to Wheeling Park High School, Dr. Henry Marockie Fund, 1976 Park View Road, Wheeling, WV 26003, and West Liberty State College, Dr. Marockie Superintendent's Fund, 208 University Drive, West Liberty, WV 26074.
Special thanks to Dr. Angelo Georges, Pat, Nini, Cassandra, Christa and Becky for their love, care, and support.
Personal condolences may be offered to the family at www.kepnerfuneral.com.