HIU Community Mourns the Passing of Library Assistant Marie Rovero

The HIU community will celebrate the life of Marie Rovero, 64, at a Community Prayer service in the chapel at 12 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 1.

Marie, who had worked at HIU for more than 40 years, died unexpectedly this week. She was a dear colleague and friend to all at HIU. Faculty and staff relied on her expertise with the library archives and collections and benefited from her gift with genealogy. Students loved her laugh and her generous nature, according to Library Director Karla Grafton.

"With a deep love of research, Marie was a repository of institutional knowledge and interesting facts," Karla said. "But even more importantly, Marie had a deep love for our students and all of the HIU community. Marie went above and beyond to assist anyone who needed help whether it was finding a book, accessing an article, or getting a cup of coffee. She loved to welcome new students and was always happy to provide a tour of the library spaces and an introduction to our history. She will be sorely missed."

President Sherry L. Turner, who began her tenure in July, congratulated Marie on her many years of service at a staff luncheon in August and presented her with a bouquet of flowers.

"Marie was such a vital and cherished part of our HIU family," President Turner said. "Her commitment was unwavering, and I always enjoyed my conversations with her. She showed her love through both grand gestures and small, caring acts."

President Emeritus Joel N. Lohr said he often called on Marie when he had a question about HIU's history.

"In so many ways, Marie exemplified all that is good and great about HIU," he said. "She was caring, interesting, kind, committed, smart, quirky, and rigorous, all in her own unique way. She also had a great sense of humor. I can still see her looking at me, listening first and then responding with some funny bit of information, or a historical insight I had not known about. And how many students did she not bless?"

Members of Marie's family will be present for the Community Prayer service on Oct. 1, which will also be livestreamed to HIU's Facebook page. All are welcome.