Marsha Rae Doyenne

Marsha Doyenne, age 71, left this world on Friday, January 19, 2024 at the Republic County Hospital in Belleville, Kansas.

She was born to Ray and Peggy Doyen in 1952 and grew up on their farm east of Concordia. Inspired by her parents, she developed a love of music and business. While other children played “house”, “school”, or “cowboys”, Marsha played “business” and explored sounds on the piano.

Wearing a red dress, Marsha married Mike Peil (CHS class of ’68) at the age of 18. This was an early sign of her spirit of adventure and good humor. The two moved to Garden City where Marsha earned a pilot’s license for fun. Later they moved to San Jose, California. There, Marsha worked in bookkeeping and accounting, then computer software development and sales. She also played organ in various venues.

By the early 1980s, Marsha and Mike divorced, though they remained friends. In time, she moved from the Bay Area to Los Angeles.

By 1990, Marsha chose to focus on music. She changed her name to Doyenne, the original Belgian spelling of the family name, and then moved to New York to study with a composer. That year, she was the first American organist to perform in a Beijing, China concert hall, thanks to a Chinese physicist friend from the Bay Area who made the arrangements.

In 1991, Marsha performed an organ concert in Prague, Czechoslovakia. The communists had recently lost power, and during their reign, organs and religious music had not been allowed. She fell in love with Prague and returned seven times during her life.

Needing additional income and seeing herself as more of a composer than a performer, Marsha took a consulting job with Apple Computer that involved travel to Europe and Australia. Inspired, she struck out on her own in 1995 and moved to Australia where she lived for eight years and gained citizenship.

In 2003, she returned to Concordia to spend time with her parents. When Peggy wished to retire, she bought her mother’s business, Country Cousins. Over time, she phased out the health foods and gift shops to focus on fabrics. Fabric Essentials was born and quickly she realized the need to create an online business for quilters to supplement the storefront revenue. Today, walking into Fabric Essentials is an immersion in color, fabric designs, and beautiful display quilts, with a welcome by friendly and loyal staff. 

Throughout her time in Concordia, Marsha managed a variety of rental properties. She also served on the Cloud County Community College Board of Trustees from 2007 to 2011.

Marsha was preceded in death by her father Ray in 2016, her mother Peggy in 2022, an infant brother, Hal Doyen, and her former husband Mike Peil. She is survived by sisters Diane (Craig) Johnson of Cortland, Nebraska and family, and Amie Doyen of Concordia, and by a lifelong friend and near-son, Kurt Koscielniak, who Mike & Marsha befriended for eight years through Big Brothers Big Sisters and remained close to ever since. Marsha’s wide circle of friends was loyal to the end.

A celebration of Life will be held at a later date at the Brown Grand Theater, Concordia, KS.

A private graveside service was held Saturday January 20, 2024 at the Rice Cemetery, Rice, KS. Memorials may be made to the Brown Grand Theater, care of Nutter Mortuary.       

For online condolences, please visit nuttermortuary.com.

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