Marjorie Nelson Perisho (24 June 1939–29 December 2022), who also wrote under the names Marjorie Nelson and Majliss Larson, was a lifetime SFWA member.  Her Star Trek novel Pawns and Symbols, was published in 1985 and later translated into Serbian.

Nelson Parisho earned a doctor of medicine and master’s of public health. For two years, during the Vietnam War, she provided medical care to Vietnamese civilians. She also endured two months of captivity under the National Liberation Front, which did not dissuade her from continuing her work in Vietnam after her release. Following her later return to the United States, Dr. Nelson Parisho detailed her experiences in the memoir To Live in Peace in the Midst of the Vietnam War.

Additionally, Dr. Nelson Parisho worked for many years as a faculty member of Ohio University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine and as a medical director for Planned Parenthood. She was a devoted Quaker, active in the Society for Creative Anachronism, and practiced archery and tai chi. 

SFWA President Jeffe Kennedy remarks, “Losing a member of our community is always a sorrow, but saying goodbye to a lifetime SFWA member who led a life of courage and conviction hits especially hard.”

This In Memoriam is adapted from an obituary sent to the SFWA Office.