Marina Grace, financial executive at Jefferson University Hospital, ER patron, and volunteer, has died at 64

Marina Grace, 64, of Philadelphia, longtime director of revenue cycle budget and finance at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, emergency room patron, founder of Jefferson’s Grace Humanitarian Award, and volunteer, died Monday, May 15, of a heart condition at her home near Washington Square.

In 1993, when she was 35, Ms. Grace suffered a sudden cardiac emergency after a half-marathon on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. She needed CPR, was rushed to the Jefferson emergency room, and was so appreciative of the care she received that she later volunteered to visit hospital patients and help the ER staff however she could.

In 1997, when she was 39, Ms. Grace suffered a second cardiac event, was revived with a defibrillator, and finally diagnosed with a rare disease called arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia. She got an implanted cardiac defibrillator and was so grateful for her treatment this time that she donated more than $100,000 to Jefferson’s ER from 2008 to 2019.

“I just wanted to keep giving as much as I could,” she told The Inquirer in 2019. “It’s the least I can do.”

But even that wasn’t enough. To recognize those who often work behind the scenes, Ms. Grace endowed the Grace Humanitarian Award in 2007, and Jefferson has presented it to many innovative doctors, researchers, and other high achievers.

“She’s one of these silent, exceptional people who fly under the radar,” Theodore Christopher, chair of Jefferson’s Department of Emergency Medicine, told The Inquirer for that 2019 article. “She just has this desire to recognize people who help people, especially vulnerable people. In her small way, she’s making a very large impact.”

Perhaps even closer to her heart, Ms. Grace certified her 7-year-old golden retriever, Sprout, as a therapy dog, and they were favorites at Jefferson and had plans to expand their visits. “She brought smiles to patients and staff every time she came to visit,” a friend at Jefferson said in an online tribute.

She also volunteered for two years in the outreach program at Old St. Joseph’s Catholic Church and at other neighborhood events. She told The Inquirer for the 2019 article: “I wouldn’t want [the cardiac events] to have not happened because I gained so much because of them.”

Born July 7, 1958, Marina Grace grew up and lived in Northeast Philadelphia for most of her life. They called her Rene, and she was close to her older sister, Margaret, and brothers, Fred and Matt.

“She was like my best friend,” her sister said. “We counted on each other.”

The sisters shared a bedroom in Holmesburg and went on teenage adventures in the 1970s. Ms. Grace graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School in 1976, was sharp at math, and got a bachelor’s degree in accounting and business administration from Temple University and a master’s degree at La Salle University in business administration.

She worked at Manor College before joining the bursar’s office at La Salle in 1993 and left La Salle for Jefferson in 1999.

Her family said she was reserved and thoughtful, humble but determined. “She found so many ways to connect people,” her sister said. “People said she was shy, but she could work a room.”

Ms. Grace looked forward to holidays with her family, always brought presents for the kids, and developed over the years into a first-rate Christmas cookie baker. “That gave us both so much joy,” said her sister-in-law Patty.

» READ MORE: Marina Grace pays it forward with a humanitarian fund and award

She followed the Philly sports teams and ran many half-marathons before her heart problem emerged. She was a competitive target shooter, former member of the Vesper Boat Club, and drummer for the Double Happiness dragon boat team.

“She was always trying something new,” her sister said. “She was generous and tried to grab every check.”

Ms. Grace enjoyed vacations down the Shore and swatting golf balls at the driving range. She left the Northeast for Washington Square in 2016.

Her family said in a tribute: “Marina’s memory will continue to live on through the lives of those she touched.”

In addition to her sister and brothers, Ms. Grace is survived by other relatives.

Visitation with the family is to be from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, June 2, at Lambie Funeral Home, 8000 Rowland Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 19136. A funeral Mass is to be at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 3, at St. David Roman Catholic Church, 316 Easton Rd., Willow Grove, Pa. 19090.

Donations in her name may be made to PAWS Philadelphia, Donor Services, 100 N. 2nd St., Philadelphia, Pa., 19106.