Marion Stout O'Connor, born in 1897 in Interlaken, New York, graduated from New York State Teachers College (Brookport) in 1917. She also attended Cornell University (1921-1922) and Ithaca College of Music (1923), as well as Western College in Iowa and Drake University. She sang as a choir member and soprano soloist in a variety of settings, taught music in the public schools, prepared children to sing with the Minneapolis Symphony, and was active in many community organizations, including the Cornell Women's Club.