Irmi's Sister Marion

Gerlingen, Germany  (1980)

Marion Scharna  (1950-1981)

Marion was born in the city of Greiz, in the German state of Thüringen, one year

following the establishment of the former East Germany.  When she was ten years

old, her family fled to West Germany, eventually settling in the city of Gerlingen,

on the outskirts of Stuttgart.  There, Marion completed her primary schooling and

attended a small teachers' college in nearby Reutlingen.  Upon graduation, Marion

moved to the Black Forest town of Haiterbach where she had been accepted for a

position as a grade school teacher.  Within four years, Marion had received tenure

as a "permanent" teacher and also became engaged to be married.  In 1981, while

vacationing in southern Italy, she and her fiancé died together in a tragic accident.