Marilyn Eleanor Uselmann

Marilyn Eleanor (née Archer) Uselmann passed away peacefully on 10 July 2024, in Rochester, NY. Born 20 October 1938 in Madison, Wisconsin, which always held a place in her heart, Marilyn was the daughter of Russell and Gwendolyn Beebe Archer. She spent much of her adult life in Arlington Heights, IL where she raised her family of three children by herself. Marilyn will always be remembered as a devoted mother, gifted musician, and avid reader who lived by the motto "laughter is the best medicine," a life-view her father shared.
A talented pianist from an early age, Marilyn developed a wide repertoire in classical piano, harpsichord, and organ, and performed music throughout her life, bringing a love of music to all around her - family, friends, and even neighbors who listened to her morning practices waft from open windows. A graduate of Madison West High School, she attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison; her instructor was a protégé of the famous composer Maurice Ravel and pianist Paderewsky. Her music was both a passion and a source of income and flexibility while raising her three children, as she taught piano and served as organist at Southminster Presbyterian Church in Arlington Heights.
In addition to her music, Marilyn shared a love of conversation and ideas, reading books from nearly every genre and topic. Later in life she received a degree in Library Science and worked in reference at the Arlington Heights Memorial Library until retirement. In a time before the internet, she also directed the Night Owl Reference Service, which answered phone calls for Chicagoland suburban libraries and beyond after they closed, researching students' homework as well as obscure questions, finding answers in books that few people knew even existed.
Marilyn's organ scores, which preserve her hand-written notes, are currently housed at the Yale Institute of Sacred Music, where scholars commented her score notations will be valued by students and faculty for decades to come.
She is preceded in death by her parents and brothers, Bill and Jim. She is survived by her sister, Jacquelyn; children, Tracy (Curtis), Tim (Indre), and Susan (Stephen); and grandchildren, Clare, Ben, Henry, Eleanor and William.
We invite you to join us in honoring Marilyn at Southminster Presbyterian Church, 916 East Central Road, Arlington Heights, IL on October 26, 2024. Family visiting begins at 10AM and service at 11AM.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks you to consider donations to Christopher House, where Marilyn volunteered for many years: christopherhouse.org/donate.