Marlene Else Pappacena

Marlene Else Pappacena, beloved wife, mother, and grandmother, passed away peacefully on December 28, 2025 at the age of 85. Marlene was born Else Marlene Repphun on November 30, 1940, just outside of Stuttgart, Germany. Her parents were Heinrich Repphun and Emilie Repphun (nee Hertkorn).

Marlene came to the United States in 1964, initially for a long vacation, and stayed with her aunt Bertha Hohr in Bayside, NY. While living with her aunt, she began attending Redeemer Lutheran Church and befriended a number of other young adults who would become lifelong friends. She remained an active member of Redeemer for the rest of her life. Marlene decided to stay in America, becoming a naturalized citizen in 1970.

Her friendship with Michael Pappacena blossomed into a romance and the two were married on August 22, 1966. Marlene and Michael welcomed their son Michael Paul in October 1968, and were blessed with another son Christopher John in 1971. Marlene was a devoted mother and active in all of her children's activities including Cub/Boy Scouts, Little League, and as a Sunday School teacher at Redeemer.

She was an outstanding cook and an even better baker, and her friends and family often asked her to make one of her signature recipes for a special occasion. Though a German by birth, she was an honorary Italian by marriage and her eggplant parmigiana was legendary. When it came to cookies, her repertoire was extensive. Every family member had their favorite, and Marlene was always happy to oblige. Holidays like Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving featured an extensive spread of pinwheels, spritz cookies, linzer tarts, and chocolate chip cookies, to name but a few.

Marlene had a long and successful career as an executive assistant, putting her native fluency in German and her strong organizational skills to good use. She supported both legal and accounting professionals in international business with clients in Germany and was lauded for her expertise and efficiency by her coworkers. Marlene loved working in Manhattan and enjoyed the sights and sounds of the city. Even after she retired in 2007, she would periodically head back there to shop on Fifth Avenue, see a Broadway show, or walk in Central Park.

Marlene loved her family and was a doting grandmother to her six grandchildren. She loved being outdoors and spent much of her free time gardening or walking through the neighborhood. She wasn't a big television watcher but did enjoy NCIS and spent many a cold December evening snuggled under a blanket watching a Christmas movie on the Hallmark Channel.

Marlene is survived by her husband of 59 years, Michael; her children Michael and Christopher; her grandchildren Alexandra, Matthew, Stephen, Christopher, Nicholas, and Justin; and sisters Annerose and Hildegard.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you make a donation to the Musical Autist at themusicalautist.org