Ainsley Marquiss

Ainsley Marquiss, of Pittsburgh, PA, passed away from complications of lung disease on Saturday, January 21, 2023. She was 16 years old. She was in 11th grade at North Allegheny High School in Wexford, PA.

Ainsley was a thinker and creative. An avid music lover, her musical taste spanned many genres and decades. She played the ukulele, guitar, and piano, and was teaching herself to play bass. We will miss her poignant cover of Wicked Games.

She enjoyed art, especially drawing and sculpting with clay.

Ainsley was a gentle and nurturing soul. She loved nature and often sought comfort by hanging out at the creek, lying in the moss, videoing creek creatures and identifying mushrooms. She loved plants, often transplanting them from the yard or creek to cultivate in her room. She was also known to bring home a creature or two, most notably, Milo the mouse who got out of his homemade cage after a day and half. Milo was just one of many creatures she loved; there were others, including various hamsters, mice, chickens, fish, our dog, Atticus, and her beloved guinea pig, Bear.

Ainsley’s love languages were time and touch. If she was spending time with you, she was most likely asking to be rubbed or sitting right next to you so you were touching.

Ainsley leaned toward melancholy during her adolescent years, but the last 11 months in the hospital was the happiest we’ve seen her in a while. Her body was failing, but her mind was sharp, her humor present, and her will to live steadfast. It was a privilege to watch her grow under such difficulty.

One of her favorite meals, and one she ate often in her last days, was a turkey sandwich on toasted white bread with lettuce, tomato, onion and pickle, cut on the diagonal paired with a garden salad.

She is survived by her parents Henry Marquiss and Leighann (Ennis) Marquiss, siblings Natalie Marquiss, Ryan Marquiss, and Piper Marquiss; her grandparents Henry Marquiss, Willa (Stamper) Marquiss, John Mark Ennis, Karla (Morris) Gilbert, and Neil Gilbert;  and many aunts, uncles, and cousins.

The family will welcome friends for a funeral service on Friday, January 27, 2023 at 10:30am followed by a viewing and visitation from 11:30am – 1:00pm both at Orchard Hill Church 2551 Brandt School Rd, Wexford, PA 15090.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Animal Friends, 562 Camp Horne Rd. Pittsburgh, PA 15237.