Marilynn Weidman

Marilynn Weidman, 90, passed away at Elderwood in Waverly, NY on Tuesday, December 9, 2025. Her death was the result of metastasized lung cancer. Amazingly, despite carrying the BRCA gene that took both her mother and aunt by age 60, she beat the odds and never developed early-onset breast or ovarian cancer.

Marilynn was born February 1, 1935, in Chicago, IL, the youngest daughter of Lee R. and Olive (Eckert) Foster. She married John ("Jack") Weidman on June 23, 1956, in LaGrange, IL. They shared 67 years together, and were the parents of two sons, David and Matthew. Surviving are her son David and daughter-in-law KyleAnn, son Matthew, eight granddaughters, Kara Alvarez (Daniel), Katrina Bowman (Brandon), Karissa Weidman (Jesse Misbin), Samantha Weidman (William Best), Michaela Weidman, Ella Weidman, Lorelei Weidman, and Tessa Weidman, seven great grandchildren, and sister-in-law Phyllis Weidman. She was predeceased by her husband Jack in 2023, her parents, and sisters Joan Santas and Sylvia Roman.

She grew up near Chicago, spending many summers on her grandparents' farm in northeast Indiana. After graduating from high school, she was a member and ultimately president of the Pi Beta Phi sorority and studied elementary education at Knox College in Galesburg, IL, where she met Jack. They were married after her graduation and moved to Indianapolis, where Jack served in the Army and Marilynn worked at a bank. After his discharge from active duty, they moved to Peoria, IL, where they lived until his death. In 2024 she moved to New York to be close to David and KyleAnn. She lived in Horseheads, NY at Appleridge Senior Living until about two months before her passing, making many new friends.

Marilynn inherited her mother's love of teaching, and taught at Douglas and later Sipp Schools in Peoria, mostly in third and fourth grades. Her students benefitted from her caring nature, her sense of humor, her kind but demanding teaching, and her love of nature and animals – her classroom was never without a pet of some type, usually furry unless allergies demanded otherwise. Her father had a small gladiola farm near their house during her youth, and she was required to help, which explains why she loved most flowers except gladiolus. While Jack tried unsuccessfully to turn their sons into fishermen during the many family vacations to lakes in northern Wisconsin, she would lead expeditions from the front of the boat with a net as chief turtle catcher, which was a very popular event. Of course, she loved her furry children at home too; she spent many of her last days with KyleAnn and David's dog curled up next to her. At their home in Peoria, she also developed a love of racoons – we can't explain why, other than that they were cute furry creatures. She encouraged her boys to learn and to follow their education and interests into areas neither she nor Jack were familiar with – a teacher and a banker were parents of a physicist and a pediatrician. She and Jack were members of the University United Methodist Church of Peoria for many years.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in memory of Marilynn to your SPCA, the American Cancer Society, or a charity of your choosing. Per her wishes, no services will be held.

The Road goes ever on and on

Down from the door where it began.

Now far ahead the Road has gone,

And I must follow, if I can,

Pursuing it with weary feet,

Until it joins some larger way,

Where many paths and errands meet.

And whither then? I cannot say.

~Tolkien