BREWSTER - Marjorie Ann (Talbot) Bennett Morley, 84, beloved mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, musician and teacher, died peacefully in Brewster on March 7, 2017, surrounded by her loved ones. Marjorie, known by most as Jerry, was one of five daughters born to Frank and Marion Talbot of Springfield. Her sisters, Marion (Mamie), Martha (Bobbie), and Ann, preceded her in death. Jerry is survived by her youngest sister, Louise; as well as her four loving children: Stephen, Leslie, Peter and Roger, and their spouses Paula, Joshua, Gisele and Jane; and by her grand- and great-grandchildren Jennifer, Nate, Ben, Lily, Tim, Leo, Mimi and Amber. Jerry was also blessed with many nieces and nephews and will be remembered with great fondness by all. Educated at Springfield High School, she was awarded a B.M. in Voice from Boston University in 1954. While attending BU, she developed a lifelong friendship with concert pianist Ken Manzer, and met her first husband, Sid Bennett. Jerry first moved to Cape Cod in 1969 with Sid and their four children. She soon became active in music on Cape Cod, directing numerous choirs, including Chatham Methodist, where she discovered her love for choral conducting, and teaching singers of all ages and abilities. In 1972, she co-founded the Chatham Chorale and continued as its main conductor for 17 years. She also started the Chatham Chorale Chamber Singers, a smaller auditioned touring group formed from members of the larger organization. The Chamber Singers performed numerous times each year to critical acclaim in venues small and large, as well as making international tours to Romania and England/Wales. During this period she met her second husband, Robert Morley. With the full Chorale, she programmed many well-known, full-length choral works that were sometimes performed with full orchestra including Carmina Burana, The Creation, Judas Maccabeus and Handel's Messiah. The Chorale later commissioned and performed the world premiere of The Outermost House - written by Ronald Perera and based on the famous Henry Beston novel of life in a remote hut on Nauset Beach in the early 1900s - in Jerry's honor. Jerry was musical director at a number of churches on Cape Cod including First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church in Brewster and the Federated Church of Orleans. In addition, Jerry also directed music for the New Cape Singers and for local theatre groups such as the Highlanders in Orleans, and the Harwich Junior Theatre. Few involved in these productions will forget her dedication, sense of humor, and focus on delivering a quality show. Her infectious love of music and empathetic leadership brought many singers and beautiful performances to the Chorale and her various church choirs. Jerry's spirit came vibrantly alive when she raised her baton, and her singers responded in kind. Her reputation and skilled persuasion brought many out of 'singing retirement' into her choirs and stories abound about the way she changed peoples' lives through music. Jerry was an ardent liberal and egalitarian who was actively involved in the civil rights movement, and was a feminist by example. She had a gift for bringing people together and for making friends wherever she went. Of her many names and nicknames, the one she enjoyed the most was 'Gramma Jerry.' Her love of family, the ocean, the environment and traveling also fueled her spirit. She enjoyed several winters living aboard a boat in Florida and as a tour guide in Europe and New England. The family would like to thank the staff at Hope Hospice, Cape Cod Hospital and Wingate of Brewster for their skill, compassion and kindness, and to the Harwich Community Center team for their welcome and support. There will be a memorial service this spring. A further announcement will be placed in this paper. In lieu of flowers, donations to Hope Hospice, The Federated Church of Orleans, the Heifer Project or another charity of your choice would honor Jerry's memory.

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