Marilyn Grace Gramsch

Marilyn Grace DeRossett Gramsch passed from this life on the evening of March 14, 2025 at home in Cary, NC at the age of 83. Marilyn was born in DeRossett, Tennessee and grew up on Chicago's south side in the Hyde Park and Chatham neighborhoods, where she attended Hirsch High School. She and her husband Cary raised their three children in North Aurora, Illinois, where she was active in the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd. Possessed of a beautiful alto singing voice, she participated in the church choir as well as the Rebecca Circle, a women's auxiliary group associated with the church. For 28 years, Marilyn worked as a secretary in the District 129 public schools in Aurora, Illinois, first at West Senior High School and then in the Human Resources department at the District Administration Office. She always took great pride in her work in the support of teachers and staff and the advancement of public education.

Following retirement, she and Cary relocated to Cary, North Carolina where she continued to be active at Christ the King Lutheran Church, including with the Altar Guild, and in the coordination of blood drives, for which was a frequent donor herself. She was active in a knitting group that provided resources for needy families in the the area, and enjoyed playing Mexican Dominoes with a group in her neighborhood. Marilyn's favorite knitting projects were prayer shawls, and baby hats and blankets for the children of friends and family.

Marilyn's greatest pleasures centered around her home, where she was an expert in the kitchen and at the sewing machine. She delighted in making dresses for her daughters and granddaughters, and she enjoyed planning and preparing creative and delicious dinners for the many guests she entertained throughout her life.

Marilyn Gramsch is survived by her three children, Stephen (Linda, nee Natchke), Heather French (Henry) and Karen Zima (James), eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her father Jeff, stepfather Albert Pattock, mother Gladys (nee Seymour), sister Donna Ryan (John), and her husband of 64 years, Cary Alfred Gramsch.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, June 7, 2025 at 11:00 AM at Christ the King Lutheran Church, 600 Walnut Street, Cary NC 27511.