Marian Wood Kolisch

KOLISCH, Marian Wood

Feb 29, 1920-Nov 24, 2008

Marian Wood Kolisch died peacefully at home on Nov. 24, 2008. She was 88 years old, a leap year baby, born in Ontario, to Alice H. Howe and Berwick B. Wood. When she was still young, Marian's family moved to Portland, where they lived on Northwest Lovejoy Street for many years.

Marian was a beautiful woman, inside and out. Her charm, warmth and vivacity made everyone feel welcome and at ease. She loved and was loved by all ages and kinds of people. She was kind, generous, funny, elegant, sensible, wise, practical, brave and valiant. She was thoroughly original, an ageless beauty.

Marian was an honor student at Catlin-Gabel School, then known as Miss Catlin's School. She received the school's Distinguished Achievement Alumni award in 1997. Following graduation, she attended Katherine Gibbs School in Boston. When she returned to Portland she worked as a legal secretary and as "the voice" of the Kaiser shipyards during World War II.

When she met J. Pierre Kolisch, a college friend of her brother Addison, she was swept of her feet - literally. They loved to dance. They were a beautiful sight moving across the floor to all kinds of music whenever they had an opportunity. They married in 1943 and lived in New York until 1952, when they returned to Portland to raise their family. Marian and Pierre had an extraordinary partnership for 65 years. Pierre predeceased her in March of this year.

She had many interests, particularly the arts. She served on the boards of the Museum Photography Council, the Northwest Film Study Center, the High Desert Museum, the Pacific Northwest College of Art, the Friends of the Kennedy Center, and was a member of the Oregon Cultural Heritage Commission. She loved to swim, play tennis and ski. She acted in many amateur theatrical productions, including some at the former Civic Theater. She was a superb cook and hostess.

And she was an artist. She always had a creative nature, possibly inherited from her grandfather, C.E.S. Wood, a writer, poet, and painter. When she was 52 she applied for workshop with Ansel Adams. She not only was accepted, but she and Adams became lifelong friends. She had discovered her vocation. Marian worked mostly in black and white and had a particular talent for portraiture. Her work was displayed at the Portland Art Museum, a one-person show of portraits of Oregonians in the arts, and in the Governor's Ceremonial Office. In 2004, she published a book of portraits.

Marian is survived by her daughters, Leslie Kolisch of Camas and Christine Kolisch of Carmel Valley, Calif.; and her son, Edward Pierre Kolisch of Redmond. She is also survived by four grandsons, Christopher Taylor of Portland, Bodhi Garrett now working in Thailand, Kyle Kolisch and Charles Kolisch of Redmond; and two great-grandchildren, Alexander and Emily Taylor of Portland.

A celebration of her life will be held at 3 p.m. Monday, Dec. 15 at the Racquet Club, 1853 S.W. Highland Rd., Portland.

Please sign the online guest book at www.oregonlive.com/obits.