Marion Slakey

1930 - 2026

Marion passed away peacefully on January 3, 2026.

Marion was born in Sacramento on February 13, 1930, to Martin and Mary (Sanders) Kaeser, the eldest of five sisters and a brother. She attended St. Francis Catholic High School, and she remained an active supporter of the school throughout her life. She was defined by her love of family: her children, her grandchildren, her great-grandchildren, her aunts and uncles, her siblings, her cousins, and her many nieces and nephews.

She worked as secretary to the Bishop of Sacramento, later as the Registrar of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and still later in the Development Office at St. John's College, Annapolis, Maryland. She received a BA in French Literature from Cornell University, and also attended Laval University in Quebec. She married her high school sweetheart, Thomas (Tom) Slakey, in 1952, and together they raised four children. She accompanied Tom on a series of career moves to Ithaca, New York; Quebec, Canada; Annapolis, Maryland; Santa Fe, New Mexico; San Miguel de Allende, Mexico; Moraga, California; Cambridge, England; Frankfort, Kentucky; and Prague, Czech Republic; at many of which she was a warm and welcoming hostess to large parties of students and faculty. Her children received from this whirlwind a lifelong love of travel. When Tom retired, he and Marion moved back to their hometown of Sacramento, California.

She had a lifelong passion for gardening, and shared her flowers generously with friends and family. She loved cooking, was a skilled watercolor painter, and supported many charities. A woman guided by her faith, she was an active member of Sacred Heart Parish. She was one of the warmest, most loving people you could ever meet, always approaching strangers and forming deep connections.

Marion is survived by her loving husband, Thomas John Slakey; her sons Thomas, Jr. (Susan) and Bill (Heather); her daughter Anne; and her grandchildren: Theo, Fay, Yarrow, Brendan, Charlotte, Nora, Alex, and Adam, and her great-grandchildren: Inti, Maui, Maci, and Genevieve. Her son Michael preceded her in death.

A vigil service will be held at 4 p.m., Thursday March 5 in the Slakey Chapel at St. Mary Cemetery, 6509 Fruitridge Road, Sacramento; Memorial will be 11 a.m., Friday March 6 at Sacred Heart Parish, 1040 39th Street, Sacramento, with a reception immediately following.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to St. Francis High School, 5900 Elvas Ave Sacramento, CA 95819.