Marilyn Shapiro

Marilyn Shapiro, age 100, passed away on September 17, 2025 at HillHouse Assisted Living, in Bath, ME. She was born on May 5, 1925 to Rose (Gordon) Knoring and Abraham Knoring in Dorchester, MA. She had a sister, Helen, and a brother, Lawrence. After WW II she met and fell in love with her future husband, Wilfred Shapiro. They married in 1948. After a brief stay in Worcester, MA, they settled in Framingham, MA to start a family: Marjorie Shapiro (m. Michael White), Larry Shapiro (m. Gale), and Elaine Shapiro (m. Larry Levine). She was so proud of her grandchildren: Becca, Dan, Julie, Michelle, Davida, Miriam.

Marilyn’s life revolved around love of family, creating a home to raise her children, a place to gather and celebrate Jewish traditions. You knew the calendar by her holiday menu: Brisket at Passover, in the Spring; Stuffed Cabbage at Rosh Hashanah, in the Fall; and Latkes at Chanukah, in Winter.

She encouraged a flow of family and friends to stay at their cottage in South Yarmouth, MA and share her love of the ocean. She loved to travel and with her husband explored Europe, Israel, the far East, Mexico and the US.

Creative and skilled in the textile arts, Marilyn enjoyed sewing her own clothes, teaching her daughters to sew as well. She was accomplished in needlepoint, crewel embroidery and cross stitch, producing countless wall-hangings and pillows. She also loved to crochet and knit. Marilyn recently knitted afghans for each of her six grandchildren, using an array of complex patterns.

In May, we celebrated Marilyn’s 100th birthday, marveling at the changes she had witnessed in the world around her: from horse-and-buggy milk deliveries to outer space travel. She continued to adapt to a changing world, evidenced by her first iPad at age 91. She proceeded to master email, read the news, and play Words with Friends. A fierce scrabble player and skilled at crossword puzzles, Marilyn prided herself in her command of words. She also enjoyed the social and competitive aspects of Bridge and Mahjong.

Marilyn was a voracious reader. For years, she regularly visited the Patten Free Library in Bath. When trips to the library were no longer possible, the library came to her, bringing a new bag of books every few weeks.

Over the years, Marilyn displayed an amazing resilience in the face of adversity. In her last years in assisted living, she met each new limitation as a challenge to be met without a fuss, found a path to still be present with staff and family, and seamlessly adjusted to her new circumstances.

Our family wishes to thank the skilled staff at HillHouse Assisted Living along with the Voorhees Family. We are so grateful to HillHouse for providing a caring, creative, and nurturing environment filled with respect for each resident. Clearly their priority is to celebrate each resident as a unique individual. During this time, staff has become friend and family to both Marilyn and our whole family. We thank you!

We also thank the skilled and compassionate people of Chans Home Health & Hospice. Their team arrived and supported all of us, gently touching all aspects of the end of life process.

A graveside service will be held at Shara Tfilo Cemetery, 776 Baker St., West Roxbury, on Friday, September 26 at 11:00 AM. Memorial donations may be made payable to HillHouse Assisted Living, 166 Whiskeag Rd., Bath, ME 04530, with a notation on the check for “Marilyn Shapiro Employees Fund”.