Vicki Lane Marsh

Victoria “Vicki” Lane Marsh (March 23, 1947-June 5,2026) of Abingdon, Virginia, lived a life rich in magnificent color- rose madder, cobalt blue, cadmium yellow, ultramarine violet, gold ochre, sepia, and indigo. Vicki was affectionately known as “the artist” everywhere she went. She was a renowned professional artist and art teacher to many.

Vicki is proceeded in death by her parents, Winfred Hilton Marsh (February 23, 1914 – May 27, 1976) and Mary Louise Tew Marsh (May 3, 1912- August 20, 1974) of Alexandria, Virginia (married March 28, 1936 in Greensboro, NC and buried together in Fairfax, VA) and grandparents Leslie Rosco Marsh and Lena Mae Langston Marsh of Greensboro, NC and Fleet Martin Tew and Emma Margaret Shepherd Tew of Greensboro, NC, and by a godson, Daniel Andrews. Vicki is also preceded in death by many beloved four-legged family members- Jolie, Gretchen, Big Boy, Friday, Tuxie, Nutmeg, Mocha Java, Café Latte, Brewster Blue Boy, and Lulu.

Vicki is survived by three daughters, Erin Maureen McCarthy of Pawley’s Island, SC, Kimberley Megan Mahaffey of Carrboro, NC, Amanda Lynne Mahaffey of Carmel, CA/Boulder, CO, three sons-in-law, Stephen McCarthy, Robert Votta, and Nathaniel Chapman, three grandchildren, Megan Eileen Moore of Greensboro, NC, Harley Clarke Votta of Carrboro, NC, and Rosemarin Neve Darwin Mahaffey Chapman of Carmel, CA/Boulder, CO, two great-grandchildren, Zoey Kathleen Moore and Diana Seraphine Moore of Greensboro, NC, and three goddaughters, Colette Burson, Casey Lane Phillips, and Charlotte Carr.

Vicki was born in Roanoke, VA and raised in Alexandria, VA. She was in the first graduating class of Thomas A. Edison High School, where she was a cheerleader and the editor of the school newspaper. On the day JFK died, Vicki was skipping school when she heard the news come over the radio and immediately drove her car to the school to be the one to announce the tragedy to her classmates over the loudspeaker. She was an enthusiast of news and current events and wanted to be Brenda Starr Girl Reporter. Vicki went on to major in journalism at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, where she met her former husband. They married and moved to Houston Texas for seven years, where they had three daughters before returning to Virginia and settling into his hometown of Abingdon, VA. In Abingdon, Vicki became a professional artist and served many roles in the local arts community, such as serving as president of Virginia Watercolor Society and Tennessee Watercolor Society, as well as serving on Virginia Highland’s Festival board of directors for 32 years. Vicki was also very active in St. Thomas Episcopal Church, where she served as president of the Women of St. Thomas Church for 3 years, served as a lay reader throughout her life, and was the illustrator of the notorious Keeping the Feast Cookbook.

In addition to being a career artist, Vicki was an entrepreneur and restaurateur throughout her life. In 1976, at age 29, Vicki established the renowned Abingdon restaurant, Cobblestone Ordinary. "The Cobblestone" quickly became noteworthy not only for its creative culinary concoctions but for Vicki's unyielding hospitality. Guests traveled from far and wide to sample her wares, locals enjoyed exploring the much-needed fresh food offerings, and no hungry person was ever turned away. Where Vicki was, eccentrics, artists, vagabonds, and brilliant minds were sure to congregate. This is well reflected in the strong base of lifelong bonds that were formed when she chose the eclectic Cobblestone crew to assist her in fulfilling her dream. After the Cobblestone, Vicki created a grocery/market and later an ice cream shop/deli. Vicki’s entrepreneurial creations served as gathering places for the Abingdon community throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Beginning in 1990, her Chapel View beach house at Pawley’s Island, South Carolina, extended the love further south.

In midlife, Vicki divided her time between Abingdon, VA and Pawley’s Island, SC. She was well-known in the arts community of Pawley’s Island as well, where many tourist galleries sold her paintings of the salt marsh, sand dunes, and the Atlantic Ocean. Her still life and landscape paintings are hung in homes, churches, and businesses throughout Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Vermont, Ohio, Texas, Colorado, California, Oregon, and parts unknown. Her magnificent color choices and strokes of her brush are lovingly splattered far and wide!

A memorial service and celebration of life will be held at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Abingdon on August 1, 2026, at 2:00 pm, where Vicki’s ashes will be held in the Columbarium. A grand celebration with music and dancing will be held in the Parish Hall after the ceremony. Come join us to celebrate the well-beloved life of Vicki Lane Marsh!