Marie was a devout Lutheran - her mother Eva Alice was of Swedish descent and a distant relative of Stonewall Jackson. Marie invariably detested being referred to as "a saint" - in fact, since sufficient funds were recently raised to provide her a fitting memorial in the family plot in South Carolina, her epitaph could well read, "I am no Goddamned Saint!".

This was an expression she often used, such was her great humility. Marie much preferred to be known as "A Courageous Fool" - hence the title of her recently-published biography.