Marilyn Susan (Kohn) Cane

Marilyn Susan Cane, 84, of NY, NY passed away on May 23, 2024. She was born on May 14, 1940, in Cleveland, Ohio. Her parents were Walter Whitman Kohn and Ann Marks Kohn of Toledo, Ohio and where she spent her formative years. She attended DeVilbiss high school and The Ohio State University.

Marilyn is survived by her loving children, Kimberly Skeen and Cynthia Fischel (Richard), and her grandchildren of whom she was extremely proud, Maximilian Skeen, Samuel Alexander Skeen, Sabrina Fischel, and Theodore Fischel. She was preceded in death by her husband, Myles A. Cane.

Marilyn was a trailblazer in the design and fashion industry. In the 1970s, she co-launched Bellissimo in Toledo, Ohio, a boutique that revolutionized the local market with unique jewelry, accessories, food and design. Marilyn and her partner, Beverly Nathan, were somehow able to talk Seventies cutting edge designers, Mary McFadden, Robert Lee Morris, Cara Croninger and Barry Kisselstein-Cord and others including the sculptor Berrocal into selling their pieces in the Midwest based store on their strength, personality and vision. They were rewarded with Vogue magazine credits which was a phenomenal validation for the ladies at that time. They were also early backers of both Dean and Deluca and The Silver Palate, bringing a new level of awareness to the Midwestern culinary market that was thought to be both long overdue and revolutionary in its own right. Marilyn brought the same sensibility to Cashmere Cashmere on Madison Avenue when she moved to New York, realizing her life long dream of being closer to the beating heart of the fashion world that is New York City.

Her passion for design was evident in her hobbies, which included collecting antique books on various subjects with an emphasis on Eighteenth Century textiles and Antiquity as well as wearable art including her incredible hat collection. Marilyn's iconic style and love for 20th-century design shone through in everything she did and she was acknowledged by her dear friend, Patricia Underwood, as a muse of the internationally acclaimed hat designer.

Marilyn served on the Board of Directors of the Rory Meyers School of Nursing at NYU, of which she was extremely proud, and supported her husband in his lengthy career as a Skidmore College Board member, culminating in his Chairmanship after twenty years of service to the school.

There will be no funeral service at this time. A celebration of life will be held in the future.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Skidmore College, Office of Advancement - North Hall, 815 North Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866-1632, or a charity of the donor's choice.

The Wolfe Funeral Home in Ft. Mill, SC, is assisting the family with arrangements.