Marilyn "Mara" Therese Radzvickas

Mara passed away on April 11, 2023. She leaves behind a daughter and a set of devoted friends who will miss her very much. Mara was born on September 27, 1941 to John Zieman and Valerie (Drog) Zieman in Chicago, Illinois. She was the first member of her family to go to college, starting at Virginia Junior College in Virginia, Minnesota. But then—surprise!—her daughter Adrienne came along, so she married Audronis (“Audie”) Radzvickas and settled in to being a housewife. (It was quite the scandal at the time.) Mara quickly got bored being a housewife, although she is remembered with fondness as a great Girl Scout leader. She finished her college degree at Northwestern University. She said that she cried every time that Audie said that he got another promotion, so she went to work in the accounting department at Saint Francis Hospital in Evanston, Illinois. She took a few accounting courses but decided to get an MBA at Northwestern University. She fell in love with marketing and got a job at BBDO Chicago. (Her daughter once said that part of her job was the most fun you can have and get paid for it, and Mara said, “No, that’s advertising!”) She later got a job at BBDO in Detroit and moved to Michigan.

Outside of work, Mara loved her house and spent a lot of time decorating it. She said that if she wasn’t in marketing, she would have liked to be a set designer. She (along with some landscapers) transformed her back yard into a park, complete with a gazebo, patio, pond, and brick labyrinth. She was active in the Theosophical Society, Point of Vision, and the Oberon Society - the group of researchers dedicated to shining a light on the authorship questions surrounding Shakespeare’s plays and sonnets. Mara enjoyed reading about and discussing theology and philosophy. She was bitten by the travel bug when Audie worked for United Airlines, and frequently traveled in Europe, mostly to Italy and the UK, both of which she loved.

Mara was pre-deceased by her parents, her brother-in-law Arthur, and sister Adrienne. She is survived by her daughter Adrienne and her “grandkitties” Zara and Mimi.

On Friday, May 26, 2023 at 10 AM, there will be a Funeral Mass at St. Regis Church, 3691 Lincoln Dr, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48301. At 11:30 AM, there will be a Celebration of Life and lunch at Crispelli’s, 28939 Woodward Ave., Berkley, MI 48072. Please bring your memories of Mara to share. Mara’s ashes will be interred at St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery & Mausoleums in River Grove, Illinois in a private ceremony at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, we are collecting donations for the Arbor Day Foundation to plant trees in Mara’s honor.