Elizabeth Ann Marra

Age 85, March 25, 2017. Beloved wife of the late Richard C. Loving mother of Linda (John) Rahie, Carol (late Gerald) Gawecki, Michael Marra, Mary Beth (William) Krzisnik and Laurie (Jeffrey) Makarewicz. Dear sister of the late Helen (late Andy) Kochis and the late Joseph Simco. Dearest grandmother of Geoffrey, Kevin, Amanda, James, the late Gerald Jr., Elizabeth, Andrew, Lauren, Michael, Megan and Molly. Dear great-Grandmother of Graham and Arthur. Funeral Mass Friday 10 a.m. at St. Frances Cabrini Church, 9000 Laurence, Allen Park, MI 48101. Gathering will begin at 9:30 a.m. at the Church. Interment Our Lady of Hope Cemetery. Memorial contributions can be made to the Capuchin Soup Kitchen.

Mom passed the evening of March 25 ^th , 2017. Weeks before she had fallen ill with norovirus, and by March 15 ^th she was hospitalized with a multitude of problems. The infection had completely weakened her. She was dehydrated and her heart and kidney issues that we had kept at bay were now greatly affecting her. Yet, she battled. She perked up, began to eat and relish her cup of ice cream after her meals, commonly saying “there is always room for ice cream.” She was expected to be released from the hospital soon and then head to rehab for a bit. Her life journey was continuing. I told her about the recovery plan and she looked at me and just smiled. I think then and there, she had decided. Soon thereafter, she closed her eyes. She said she was tired. She was beginning her journey toward Heaven.

Mom fittingly died on March 25 ^th , which coincides with the feast of the annunciation when according to Luke 1: 26-28:

“In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy God sent the angel Gabriel to a town in
Galilee named Nazareth. He had a message for a girl promised in marriage to a man
named Joseph, who was a descendant of King David. The girl’s name was Mary. The
Angel came to her and said, “Peace be with you! The Lord is with you and has greatly
blessed you!”

Mom was a devout Catholic and not only loved her faith but lived it as well. She religiously said the rosary, read her prayer books, and prayed every day. She so loved the Virgin Mother Mary. Whenever someone visited and brought her a copy of the parish newsletter or the Michigan Catholic , she would voraciously read it from front to cover and forget about her visitor for a bit. Her faith and her love for the Holy Trinity, Our Blessed Mother Mary, and the Communion of Saints guided her. She relied on her beliefs and placed her trust in the Lord and His mother throughout her entire life journey.

Elizabeth “Betty” Ann Simco was born June 10, 1931 in the coal mining region of Edenborn, Pennsylvania located in Fayette County. Born a whopping 4 lbs 4 oz. at home, mom would remain tiny her entire life. Everyone marveled that she had raised five children. She was born to Mary (Havaran) and Josef Simco who had emigrated from Dluha Luka, near Bardejov, Slovakia.

Mom had a brother named Joseph and sister named Helen, who both preceded her in death. Mom was only an infant when her 10-year-old brother died from a sledding accident but remained close to Helen (seven years her senior) throughout her life. The pair lived one block from each other in Allen Park where they raised their families together and sent their children to school at St. Frances Cabrini.

Mom received the sacraments of Baptism and First Communion at St. Mary’s in Leckrone, PA where she also attended school. There, a nun left quite an impression on her. The sister was rattling off names during roll call on the first day of school and called for “Elizabeth.” Mom said nothing. The nun repeated the name “Elizabeth” and again, mom remained silent. The nun then went up to mom and asked her why she did not answer when she was clearly calling her name. Mom replied, “My name is Betty.” The sister told her she had to use her Christian name of Elizabeth in her classroom. Surprisingly, Mom replied that she did not know her name was Elizabeth.

Having parents who spoke Slovak, mom, her sister Helen, and Helen’s husband Andy could speak the language as well. Mom remained in Pennsylvania until the age of 12 when her father left his coal mining job and headed to Detroit in search of a job in the burgeoning automotive industry. He found work in the Bower Roller Bearing Company factory in 1942 working nights in the Heat Treat department’s hot furnaces (a grueling job), and sent for his family who were still living in Pennsylvania. They packed their belongings and took a Greyhound Bus from nearby Union Town bound for a rented flat on Donald Street in Detroit. Mom traveled with a shoebox on her lap for the entire trip. In it was a black and white kitten named “Puff” that she could not bear to leave behind in Pennsylvania. In Detroit, she attended Belleview grade school in the Donald Street area before moving to East Lawn when she was in the 8 ^th grade. She spent one year at the neighborhood Guyton School before entering St. Martin’s in the 9 ^th grade. Along the way she met a life-long friend named Lois Beaudette Carter. Mom graduated at the age of 16 for she had skipped first grade. She had already known how to read and her passion for reading continued throughout her lifetime. Her favorite author was Irish novelist Maeve Binchy . Being such a book worm, quick–witted mom had an extensive vocabulary which she imparted upon her children.

Mom went to work while in high school at the Nash Pharmacy located on Chalmers. She worked as a “soda jerk” and helped to place orders with the pharmacists. Mom said she secretly smiled when customers asked for a “Pepsi” rather than a “Coca-Cola” for the “Pepsi” soda fountain tap would play a jingle when pulled. A fire nearly destroyed the Nash Pharmacy, and when the owner decided to rebuild, they hired a local boy who could carry “heavy stuff” as mom put it. She was now out of a job. Undeterred, Mom walked across the street and was hired by the competing Sutton’s Pharmacy. Owner Bill Sutton, though, was hesitant to hire her for he felt she would return to the Nash Pharmacy if the owner ever asked her to return. She replied that her loyalty would be with Sutton’s if they gave her a job. They did. Mom commented that she would allow herself to spend 35 cents each week and usually picked between a Seventeen magazine, a tube of lipstick, or a Sanders hot fudge cream puff. Around this time, mom’s father Joseph passed (he had Americanized the spelling of his name from Josef). She had just turned 16. When she graduated from high school, a kind woman pharmacist at Sutton’s named Margaret Roney purchased mom’s class ring for her. Mom said they really looked over her there. Bill even offered to send her to pharmacy school upon her high school graduation. She said, “I often wonder how my life would have been if I had taken his offer up.” Instead, mom found work at the telephone company. She had heard girls talking about how they had been turned away from there for they could not pass a required test. Mom walked into the telephone company and sought an application. While filling it out, there was a space to write which position she would like to apply. She did not know what to put down so she asked a passing female worker and she told her to write “Service Representative.” Mom said, “It sounded good to me” and did. She passed the test with flying colors but was told she was too young to be a service rep. They gave her a job in the mail room at the Valley Bell Telephone (later known as Michigan Bell then AT&T) office located on Whipple Street in the Gratiot/Van Dyke area where she made $31 a week filing. There she was required to take a typing class which she said she hated.

It was at a party hosted by a friend from the telephone company in October 1950 where mom first met Richard Charles Marra. He immediately asked her out. She said, “No thank you.” A couple of days later, a telephone message mix-up occurred at the YMCA where dad lived (he had recently moved from Springfield, MA to Detroit) and somehow mom ended up having a date with dad anyway. They saw the play Oklahoma at the Masonic Temple. Mom loved musicals, with her favorite being The Sound of Music. As dad drove her home and they neared the Belle Isle Bridge, he asked her why she had wanted him to call her since she had not seemed interested in him at all at the dance. She asked him what he was talking about and told him she never told anyone to tell him to call her. They later found out the telephone message to the YMCA had been intended for Vic, not Dick, who was supposed to call a different Betty. Dad, though, had still somehow found a way to contact our Betty. From there it began.

They were married on August 25, 1951. They rented the attic portion of 7551 Milton off of Lynch and she said it was so hot in the summer since it lacked air conditioning. That Christmas, she worked at Winkleman’s, a women’s clothing store, located on Chalmers. When first child Linda was six weeks old, Dad had to take an assignment in Rochester, NY for about 10 weeks. Mom and Linda then moved in with her mother. In June, 1953 the pair purchased their first home at 9619 Rosedale in Allen Park. The home cost $12,850 and they were able to put down $5,000. Their house payments were $72 per month.

They raised five children in Allen Park and moved to a larger house at 17300 Midway in 1966. They were the proud grandparents of eleven and great-grandparents of two. Dad and mom were active members of St. Frances Cabrini Church. Dad was a coach and often relied on mom to help. If he ran late from work, mom would load the equipment in the station wagon and drive it to the diamond. She would sometimes have the batting line up and get the team organized before Dad’s arrival. In addition, Mom volunteered as a Sunday school teacher, was a member of the Christian Mothers Club, and served as cookie mom for her daughters’ respective Girl Scout troops.

During the economic downturn of 1973-1975, mom returned to work at Winkleman’s, but at the Southland Mall location in Taylor. She first had to take a math test which she easily passed but she admitted she had trouble opening her combination locker in the back of the store every day. She worked there until 1991. Upon her retirement, mom became a collector of Hummel figurines and was active in its M.I. Hummel Club. She supported the Maryknoll Fathers, St. Vincent de Paul, Marian Missionaries of Divine Mercy, and Purple Heart. She also loved flowers and gardening, and was an active member of the Allen Park Garden Club for many years. She enjoyed visiting Notre Dame with Dad when they could catch a football game. The pair even traveled after retirement to Ireland twice and once to Hawaii to watch their beloved Irish take the field.

Summers meant camping. Mom and dad owned a trailer that was either parked at Somerset in the Irish Hills or at Camp Dearborn. Mom would make sure the trailer was stocked with food and that all the kids were packed so when Dad came home from work they could head straight to it. She never complained but it must have been a lot of work rather than a vacation for her. A day trip to the Jackson Cascades was a must. She managed a couple of vacations with dad and her dearest friends, Bernie and Leo Kelly. The couples went to the Bahamas and mom had her first daiquiri, even though she admitted it was alcohol free. She was never a drinker. Instead, her vice was ice cream. Bernie was mom’s best friend and Leo was dad’s. Bernie was a huge fan of Frank Sinatra, so they all went to Las Vegas to see him do a show. The iconic Frank ended up giving Bernie one of his hankies. The Kelly’s had eight children (seven of which were boys) and lived around the block from the Marra household. Mom and Bernie would faithfully go at 7:30 p.m. every Tuesday night to Our Lady of Perpetual Help devotions at Cabrini. The children joked that The Blessed Virgin Mary helped them to deal with all of their 13 children combined. On Saturday nights, the couples would often go to the La Riveria restaurant in Allen Park for pizza. Once a month, mom and her neighbors would take turns hosting “club” where they would chat over desserts and coffee.

Big trips were few and far between in the 60s and 70s when there was a family of seven to feed. Mom did insist, however, on a family trip to the Basilica of Saint-Anne-de-Beaupré near Quebec, Canada. She wanted to pay homage to the grandmother of Jesus. In Quebec, she expected her high school children to help the family out by speaking the French they were learning in high school. It’s a family joke that the kids were not that successful. They basically could tell you what the weather was in French. Il neige…it’s snowing…and it was summer in Quebec.

Mom tried to instill culture in us as well. She insisted that we all pile into the station wagon and head for the Detroit Institute of Arts so we could see the Rembrandt. Michael really did not want to go and dad told mom he didn’t have to. Mom insisted. Michael to this day appreciates art and regularly views that same Rembrandt.

A big ticket item was a huge deal in the household. Mom would save up and was delighted to finally purchase a rust colored new couch in 1970. Soon after, dad brought home a puppy (against mom’s wishes) that we named Willie who chewed up the skirt of said couch.

Religion was mom’s rock. When a storm brewed overhead, mom would burn palms to calm herself. When she felt anxious, she reached for one of her many rosaries. When Mary Beth was a newborn and sick with fever in the middle of the night, mom baptized her with the holy water she kept at home. The day of Mary’s baptism at St. Frances Cabrini, the priest baptized Mary with holy oils but not with the holy water for he said she had already been baptized by mom. She was quiet about her faith, choosing to live it rather than boastfully proclaiming it. The nurses at St. Joseph Mercy who took care of her before her death all said the same thing…”She is so sweet!” Mom was quiet, respectful, reverent, kind, and grateful throughout her life. And with five children and an Irish character of a husband, she was oh so ever patient!

Volunteers of St. Joseph Mercy Hospital’s pastoral care came to bring mom communion daily. Sister Faith and Father George brought her comfort. The day she refused communion, we all knew mom was near the end. It was so unlike her. Days before her death, she had explained to the staff how she knew Father Solanus Casey. Mom met him as a young priest at the monastery when she attended lectures there as a teen. She said he was the “door man” who greeted all who entered. Even then, she was inquisitive about the Catholic faith and sought knowledge.

Elizabeth Ann Marra was anointed by Father Jim and then she labored in the dying process. I know she emulated Christ by offering up her suffering. When she died, she held a blue rosary in her left hand and a relic of Father Solanus Casey in her right. Her journey on this Earth has ended but her religious journey eternally continues for she truly is in heaven with her Savior.

By: Laurie Marra Makarewicz