Marilyn Schwieterman (nee Willke), part of the Maria Stein community for 82 years and admired for her curiosity, friendliness, and practical spirit, passed away peacefully on Monday, February 26th, 2024 at the age of 91.
Marilyn’s childhood home near St. John the Baptist Church in Maria Stein was a busy place. The house was adjoined to the office of her physician father, Dr. Edgar J. Willke. Patients came and went at all hours of the day, and when waiting to see Dr. Willke often visited his wife Alfrida and their oldest child Marilyn, along with Marilyn’s three siblings. Marilyn’s first-grade class at St. John School had just four boys and eight girls, with three grades in one classroom. Summertime brought joyful weeks at Fort Scott Summer Camp near Cincinnati, which cultivated her openness to strangers and independent mindedness. In high school, she played clarinet in the band and was voted class president and homecoming queen, graduating in the same building as her grade school.
Marilyn, who loved swimming, met Donald Schwieterman of New Bremen, her future husband, while lifeguarding at the New Bremen Swimming Pool in 1952. In 1954, she became the first woman from Maria Stein to earn a degree from a four-year college, Miami University, where she studied business administration. She then became a working professional in merchandising at H&S Pogue Co., a prominent Cincinnati department store.
Don and Marilyn wed in 1955 and four years later moved along with their two young boys to Maria Stein where Don, a physician, began working with his father-in-law at the doctor’s office. The medical practice had previously been moved a short distance west to its present State Route 119 location. Several years after Dr. Willke retired Marilyn used her business skills to modernize the practice while juggling the demands of her growing family. She spearheaded the effort to deal with the growing complexity of medical bookkeeping, transition the business to a legal corporation, improve and expand the office building, and initiate a retirement savings plan for employees. She took courses at Wright State University to strengthen her skills.
Marilyn and “Doc” had six children, although the third, John, died in infancy. She encouraged her boys to read, be it novels, comic books, sports magazines, Lionel train catalogs, or just about anything, so long as it involved reading. Marilyn encouraged her five sons to participate in the Marion Local High School Band, Boy Scouts, and various sports. She motivated her sons to always achieve their best; all five became Eagle Scouts and ultimately obtained doctoral degrees. Rather than having a rigid routine for cooking and household chores, she was delightfully spontaneous, prompting her to take the kids fishing on the spur of the moment, make surprise visits to relatives, or hop in the car with Doc for an evening in Dayton. Marilyn’s inquisitive spirit sometimes took the form of impromptu conversations with family and friends at the most unlikely places, such as peering out of a car window at the grocery store, picking up the kids at the pool, or at the Lima Mall. She loved to follow the stock market and, after recovering from a life-threatening ailment in 1976, went with Doc on an around-the-world trip. She and Doc moved to a retirement home in Mason in 2014.
Marilyn is survived by her five sons, William (Donna) of New York City; Joseph (Nancy) of Flossmoor, Illinois; James (Theresa) of Maria Stein; Robert (Brenda) of West Chester, Ohio; and Thomas (Maria) of Cincinnati. She was preceded in death by Donald (husband) in 2019; William Willke (brother); Roseann Spitzer (sister); Esther Willke (sister-in-law); David Schwieterman (brother-in-law); Trudy Kuenning (sister-in-law); Betty Jo (sister-in-law); and Donald Gormley (brother-in-law). She is also survived by 17 grandchildren; Janet Bolton (sister); Jim Bolton (brother-in-law); Ruth Schwieterman (sister-in-law); and Robert Spitzer (brother-in-law).
Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 am Saturday, March 2, 2024, at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church Cemetery in Maria Stein. Friends may call from 4:00 to 8:00 pm Friday, March 1, and 9:00 to 10:00 am Saturday at the Hogenkamp Funeral Home in Minster. Condolences may be left at hogenkampfh.com. She will be interred at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Mulherin Home, 2496 Halls Mill Road, Mobile, AL, 36606. Mulherin Home provides support and respite for families caring for individuals with autism and other special needs and cares for her granddaughter Nora.
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