Nan Marshall Cushing

Rev. Nan Marshall Cushing died peacefully on January 18, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia at the age of 90. Born in New York City on May 27, 1935, Nan was the second and youngest child of Gerard Ferrer and Nan Burgess (Chenault) Marshall.

Nan spent the first four years of her life in Manhasset, Long Island. Following her father's death in 1939, Nan, her mother, and her sister, Clare, moved to Maysville, Kentucky to live with relatives. Her family moved to Westport, Connecticut where Nan graduated from Staples High School in 1953. Nan then enrolled at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in Providence, Rhode Island, graduating in 1957 with a BFA in Painting.

While at RISD, Nan met Robert Francis "Bob" Cushing, a Navy veteran studying architecture. The two married on May 30, 1958 in New York City. They had two children, living in New York and Connecticut before relocating to Georgia. After settling in Atlanta by way of Moultrie and Augusta, Nan worked for WSB TV and Western Girl Temporary Services. When Bob accepted a job working for the Federal Aviation Administration, they moved to Vineland, New Jersey. Although Nan and Bob divorced in 1981, they continued to share a deep friendship and love of their family.

Nan attended Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry in Ambridge, Pennsylvania and graduated from there in 1989. She was ordained as a Deacon in the Episcopal Church in 1995 and served the congregations of several churches, including St. Titus' Episcopal and St. Luke's Episcopal in Durham, North Carolina. Nan was also Director of Volunteer Services at Triangle Hospice and served as a Chaplain at Duke University Hospital.

A talented and prolific artist, Nan's paintings are characterized by vibrant colors and balance of realism and abstraction - much of her work features landscapes, spanning from the Appalachian mountains to the Georgia coastline. Her work was featured in several exhibitions during her lifetime and continues to add color to the homes of her loved ones.

Nan was preceded in death by her parents, her former husband, and her sister, Clare M. Stover. She is survived by her two children, Rachel (Richard) Norton of Tucker, Georgia, and Paul (Deborah) Cushing of Decatur, Georgia, four grandchildren, Jessica (Jackson) Spell, Jay (Megan) Norton, Georgia, Virginia Catherine (Bransby) Bushey, Robert Cushing, and two great-grandchildren, Violet Norton and Walter Bushey.

A memorial service will be held at 11:00am on Saturday, February 21, 2026 at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Decatur, Georgia. Internment will be at Nassau Knolls Cemetery, Port Washington, New York.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Titus Episcopal Church at https://sttitusdurham.org/stewardship/.