Marilyn Kizziah

1923 - 2020

April 2, 1923 - February 20, 2020 Marilyn Lucille Kizziah, lifelong civil rights and education activist and mother of ten, died on Thursday, February 20, 2020. She was born in Chicago on April 2, 1923 to Iver Robert Johnson and Helga Hoyer Johnson. She was raised in Chicago, attended Northwestern University before moving to California at the age of 20. She enrolled at the University of Southern California and earned a BA in Journalism, graduating in 1943. Upon graduation she worked for the City News Bureau in Chicago covering the Police, Circuit and Superior Courts, and City Hall beats from 1943 to 1946. Marilyn met Marshall (Mike) Kizziah while attending USC and the couple married in 1946 upon Mike's return from Marine Corps service in the South Pacific Theater during World War II. The couple had 10 children; Carol, Kevin, Michael (d. 1950), Kathleen, Casey (d.1993), Kimberly (d. 2017), Kelly, Kristin, Keith, and Cameron. Marilyn championed numerous civil rights, education, and social justice causes throughout her lifetime. She served as Executive Director for WOMEN FOR: from 1982-1991. In 1999 California Governor Grey Davis appointed her to the California Commission on the Status of Women where she served for eight years. She was a dedicated and tireless advocate for excellence in public school education. Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley appointed her to the Mayor's Education Committee where she served as Chair from 1978-1982. She campaigned unsuccessfully for the LA Unified School District Board of Education in 1973. Her volunteer work was extensive and included serving on the Board of Directors for the Visiting Nurses Association, Treasurer for Transport-a-Child, PTA Executive Boards of Palisades High, Paul Revere Junior High, Bellagio Road Elementary, Kenter Canyon Elementary, and Overland Elementary schools. She received numerous honors for her community service including a 1991 joint Los Angeles City Council and Mayoral Resolution for "life long integrity, conscience and compassion…and her generous heart and sensitive soul." Perhaps her greatest devotion was to building a large and loving family. As the family matriarch she believed her highest calling was to foster a sense of home and belonging within each member of her ever-growing family. Their longtime family home on the Westside of Los Angeles grew to become a place for holiday and family celebrations, as well as a refuge for family and friends in time of need. Marilyn was predeceased by her husband Mike in 1998. She is survived by her half-brother Iver R. Johnson Jr., her children, nineteen grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren. The family wishes to thank Winnie Panganiban and Sonia Dadivas for the loving care they provided their mother. The memorial will take place at All Saints Episcopal Church in Beverly Hills, Time and date is pending due to the Covid-19 virus. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the All Saints Monday Homeless Program.