Marcella Acton

Memorial service and burial plans at Arlington National Cemetery, will be made at a future date. Born on the family farm just outside Gregory, SD, on September 8, 1930, Marcelle was the youngest of eight children for Albert and Edna Mae Drey. Life on the farm was tough during the Great Depression, but they were a close and self-sufficient family. After graduation from Gregory High School, Marcy worked in the administrative office of the local Gregory Times-Advocate newspaper for 50-cents an hour, before deciding to go with several girlfriends to find better work in the “big city” of Topeka, KS.

Shortly after, she joined Continental Airlines as a stewardess in Kansas City, flying routes through the midwest and southwest. While in El Paso, TX, Marcy met Lieutenant John Acton, Jr., an Air Force bomber pilot, whom she married in 1954.

As a military wife, she embraced the changes and adventures that came with regular moves to new bases, all while raising three boys (who began calling her “Moose” as a derivative of “Yes, Ma’am”). She enjoyed family and friends, a nice round of golf, and always had several books on her nightstand. Marcy was well-known within her family and wide circle of friends as a crossworder, bridge and game player.

The family settled in Fort Walton Beach, FL, where Marcy enjoyed a 50-year love affair with the beautiful gulf beaches of Okaloosa County, FL. Marcy enjoyed all things nature, though she had a special affinity for marine life, especially sea turtles, manatees, dolphins, and whales.

Marcella “Marcy” Drey Acton died on December 8, 2023, in Miramar Beach, FL.

Marcy is survived by sons: John “Chip” (Jane) Acton; Steve (Cori) Acton; and Jim (Cindy) Acton; grandchildren: Ashley (Jesse) Dyer, Caroline (Kevin) O’Brien, and David Acton; Christopher (Mel) Hefty, Eric (Alex) Acton, and Cameron (Madeline) Acton; and four greatgrandchildren.