Marianne Zawadzki

With great appreciation for her full life, Marianne Zawadzki (nee Riederer) died on Sunday, April 12, 2026, at the amazing age of 96.

Marianne was born to Martin Riederer and Emmy Wabnitz in Munich, Germany on August 20, 1929, during the Great Depression. She outlived her siblings: Hans, Martin, Lisolette, Helmut, Rudolph and a later acquainted brother, Herbert.

Her early life had many hardships with poverty, hunger, impacts of war-torn Germany, an ailing Mother sending Marianne and her siblings into an orphanage for most of a year and other great uncertainties and insecurities. Somehow, in her survival and resilience, she kept an open and generous heart and a sense of humor.

Marianne had a great desire to be loved and to spread love around having experienced so much suffering. Also, she clearly recollected the poignant random acts of kindness from strangers in times of dire need, i.e., fresh fruit from a vender, extra bread from a baker, new pencils from another parent, extra meat from the butcher and chocolate from a man who saw her gazing into the glass cabinets full of treats she could never have. She had many stories to tell!

Marianne met James Zawadzki in Munich on a blind date on June 20, 1950, attending Verdi’s opera Rigoletto. They married on January 5, 1952. Since Jim was in the US Air Force, Marianne left her home country for the USA. They lived in 6 states and Bermuda while growing their family of seven children: Andrew, Jerome, Christopher, Laura, Nicholas, Angela and Jeffrey. Also, she had 15 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren. It pained her that she outlived both her son, Jerome, and her grandson, Paul.

On all their adventures, Jim and Marianne always had a strong community of support in both the military and the Catholic church. Marianne was never one to preach her faith; she lived it charitably... especially Mattew 25:35-40 in which you feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe those without means, care for the poor and welcome strangers and those in need. She demonstrated this immeasurably. Her children witnessed this and it became a deep and quiet gift she passed on to her children, i.e., caring for others is just the right thing to do.

Marianne had a sense of duty to contribute to others and share not just out of her abundance but out of her means and in response to needs. She was good with numbers, budgeted well and worked hard cleaning houses to provide for her children. She loved to iron, evident by the fine and crisp clothing worn by her family.

Marianne could make a friend anytime, anywhere. Marianne had a particular soft spot for children, mothers, and vulnerable elders. She sought to lighten a burden, crack a joke to make someone smile or give comfort with a touch of her hand. She could run into a store for an errand and come out with the life story from some random lady she met.

Marianne and Jim traveled to Europe, Mexico and Canada yet mostly hosted hundreds of guests at their home. She was known for her pie trio: apple, pumpkin and pecan and her cheesecakes. She easily made over 50,000 meals in her lifetime and was glad when family members made food for her to enjoy. However, pork roast, knodel, German potato salad or a pot of cabbage rolls with carrots and salt potatoes were family favorites.

She took in stray animals and people because there was a need and she responded. She found value in nurturing and giving. Marianne loved animals - dogs, squirrels, monkeys - as they delighted her. She was a strong, determined woman and often a fearless force. Some may call this stubborn too! She was known for saying things that were inappropriate, unfiltered and had no clue she was out of bounds. Sometimes, when she spoke her mind, she was unaware of the impact. Yet, if told she caused injury, she was full of remorse and worried about how to repair a rupture in a relationship. Like any human being, she was not perfect, but she tried to keep to her motto, 'kill them with kindness.'

With such a long life, there are so many stories she told us and those we experienced as she held court with her listeners. We are never able to tell all of them, but they are full, rich, funny, sad, embarrassing, uplifting and tender. She loved big and was loved by too many to count.

Funeral Mass for Marianne is scheduled for Friday, April 17th at 12:30pm at Our Lady of Grace Parish, 2766 Navajo Rd, El Cajon; Burial to follow at 2:30pm at Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleum, 4470 Hilltop Dr., San Diego.  A celebration of Marianne's life will be held August 2026. More details will be forthcoming.