Marcia Ascanio's Obituary
Marcia Ascanio made her last goodbye on the 13th of June 2020. God broke the mold after Marcia was born to the late Ivo & Matilde Ascanio on the 12th of July 1953 in Havana, Cuba. Born in Cuba and coming to the US with her family as the eldest of 5 at 15 yrs. old, Marcia was gifted with unparalleled style and a determination rarely seen by most. Her love of family propelled her, and nurtured by her Latin culture, she was determined to be a role model for her younger siblings and to teach them appreciation for the deeply rooted traditions of family and culture. She became a driving force in her family’s hearts & minds, the quintessential “matriarch” of the family. Her friends benefited from Marcia in the same way as they became part of the family. Her surviving siblings, Ivonne & Hugo can tell you hundreds of endearing stories from throughout her life, selfless to the core. Many stories involve her living life to the fullest. Her travels typically included her family and friends. Her home was the gathering place where her motto was “use the fine china” with a real cloth napkin, never paper… can’t you hear her say that now? ...and she had to start the day off with a diet coke: “Gotta have it!” ,,.even if you had to run to the store in your pajamas, which I am sure happened many times. Marcia’s door was always open: “come over anytime”…and you never found her without her earrings, and earrings she had, along with all the other jewelry, big bold & always colorful…that was her! And no photo finishes for her, she was a planner, and of course, you always had to be prepared with a plan “B”. She always had an opinion, which maybe you did not want or agreed with, but you knew you needed and would get because she cared about her family and friends, who were her extended family; and it filled her with pride to be present, as a mentor, proud Tata, or sister… But classic Marcia were her long red nails and even if she mixed it up with another color, they were still impeccably manicured and always long, and her Benz...
There was also a professional Marcia, greatly admired by many. Marcia obtained a Bachelor of Architecture degree in 1976 followed by a Master of Science in 1977 from Texas Tech University. She began her career at Dahl, Braden, Chapman Architects in 1978. In 2004, she
joined HKS. During the last four decades, Marcia’s passion for quality management led her to become an industry leader whose input was sought after when designing and building innovative and technically advanced structures worldwide. Marcia worked behind the scenes, researching, educating, mentoring, and creating tools and resources to ensure that every project was successful through the commitment to excellence of every project team member. Marcia was the backbone behind the award-winning work produced by her organization worldwide! We all had great respect and admiration for her tenacity in pursuing and achieving excellence in the delivery of projects through day-to-day involvement, and one-on-one engagement.
Marcia’s influence in the industry is extensive. She was an expert in building envelope cladding systems, vegetative roofs and living walls; and she shared her expertise through technical education programs, reviews, and opinions on new products and systems. She was constantly researching and testing, setting standards where there were none, working with industry leaders to evaluate new products and review construction methodologies.
The architecture profession, the industry, and thousands of emerging and established professionals across 5 continents had the fortune to benefit from Marcia’s instrumental mentorships, leadership in quality management and dedication to promoting technical advancement.
She was a member of the Construction Research Center, where she was president of the Board from 2010-2012; she served on the Dallas Arboretum Board of Directors, Design and Special Projects committee from 2002-2003; was an advisory committee member of the Brick Institute of America since 1979; an advisory committee member of the Texas Bureau of Lathing and Plastering since 1979; was founder and chair of the Building Enclosure Council Dallas in 2005; an advisory committee member of the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute since 1996; an advisory committee member of the National Roofing Contractors Association since 2008; a member of
the Tile Council of North America since 2006; a member of the Building Officials Association of Texas since 2008 and a member of the American Institute of Architects Dallas Chapter, where she chaired the Codes and Standards Committee from 2003-2006. For her many contributions to the profession of architecture and her service to society, Marcia was elected to the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows in 2017.
There are no words to express the sadness and the void left in our hearts from her untimely departure. We are reminded of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s words: “To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children…to leave the world a better place…to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.” We know the Lord has received her with open arms and has her in His glory.
Marcia was preceded in death by her parents Ivo and Matilde Ascanio, and her brothers Jorge and Conrado Ascanio.
Her brother Hugo (Sandra) Ascanio, her sister Ivonne (Bob) Martin, her nephews Brian (Aimee) Ascanio, Jeff (Amber), Jason and Justin Moore; her great nieces Haley Moore and Aurora Ascanio, and great nephew Elias Ascanio; and her niece Ashley (Donald) and great nephew Caden Ross invite her friends and colleagues to a graveside service at Restland Funeral Home and Cemetery 13005 Greenville Ave, Dallas, TX 75243 on Wednesday, June 24th at 10:00 am.
A Rosary and viewing will be held on Tuesday, June 23rd, by invitation only due to Covid-19.
The family suggests making memorial contributions to the Diversity Scholarship, Latinos in Architecture Scholarship or HKS Scholarship funds at the Architecture and Design Foundation at dallasadex.org
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