Her grandfather, Israel Morris II, who owned the firm, bought the Dundale Estate at Villanova, Pennsylvania as a country residence for himself and his children.

On the Sunday afternoon before the ship sank, Marian and her friend Emily Ryerson went for a stroll on the deck and encountered White Star official, Bruce Ismay.

[5] After Titanic struck the iceberg, Marian and her maid Margaret Fleming were taken to Lifeboat 4, where they joined other women such as Madeleine Astor, Lucile Carter, and Emily Ryerson.

[7] Unknowingly Marian still had in the pocket of her overcoat the White Star brochure about Titanic which contained information about the ship and included a list of first class passengers.

Soon after the tragedy, Marian joined Madeleine Astor in a luncheon to thank Arthur Rostron, captain of Carpathia, and Dr. Frank McGee, the ship's surgeon, for their assistance in their rescue.

[9] After this, Marian invited the two men to stay a few days at her home in Haverford where she, her son Jack, and other passengers from Titanic expressed their gratitude for their help.