Marianne David Paine

Marianne David Paine fought pancreatic cancer for nearly nine years before succumbing on August 20, 2020 at the age of 72. Raised in Highland Park, Illinois, she matriculated to Brown, earning Phi Beta Kappa, then went on to Stanford Law, where she obtained her graduate degree. After working briefly at large law firms in San Francisco and then Chicago, and encountering bias against women at both, she ultimately set up her own small firm so that she could follow her passion on her own terms. There, she pioneered the new field of computer law. Marianne loved her job, as evidenced by a three month period when, unable to sit because of severe back pain, she managed to make her way to the office each day where she worked while lying on the floor.

Marianne was also a devoted mother, managing to prioritize time for her children despite her demanding career. Friends and family knew her as generous and selfless. She dispensed to them free expert legal advice and generated tax returns for family members without compensation. Her mind was a trap; she was the most highly prized partner in Trivial Pursuit and, for years, watched Jeopardy nightly, slaying her competition with her speed and recall. She voraciously devoured books and could read up to a novel a day. Marianne gave her time freely and served many years on the Boards of two free medical clinics, first in Chicago and later in Santa Rosa.

During the time of her illness, while experiencing great pain and many other symptomatic indignities, she never complained. Her goal was to survive to see her first granddaughter born, and then to see her grow up. Out of sheer will, she lived to celebrate Lia's first birthday. As Marianne's story has now come to an end, just like a great book that deserves an encore read, let all who knew and loved her revisit the story of her life frequently, reflecting on this generous, loving, dedicated and remarkably brilliant woman.

Marianne was preceded in death by her mother Joan Benjamin David, father Robert David, and sister-in-law Cheryl Lazar. She is survived by her husband of 38 years, Joel Paine; her eldest daughter Kathryn Kelly; her youngest daughter Allison Paine Chakrabarti, son-in-law Kushal Chakrabarti, and granddaughter Lia Chakrabarti; siblings Pamela David, Robin David, and Andrew David; sisters-in-law Celia David, Karen Khemsurov, and Mary Paine; brother-in-law Mark Paine; many nieces, nephews, and beloved friends; and last, but not least, Lucy the dog.