Marianne Condon Donnelly

Marianne led a remarkable life. She was born Marianne Condon in Montana in 1942 to Dave and Lorna Condon. Dave was a U.S. Park Service career civil servant, so Marianne enjoyed an idyllic childhood growing up in Yellowstone National Park. Her parents were committed to give her the best education possible and supported her enrollment at Wellesley College. To preempt elite East Coast girls’ condescension about her rustic upbringing, she decorated her dorm room with a real grizzly bearskin rug, which made her an instant social sensation. She went on to complete graduate studies in international relations and third world political and economic development at Claremont McKenna College. In the late 1960s, a clerical error misrouted her civil service application from the Department of State to the Department of Defense. As a staunch opponent of the Vietnam War, she was distraught and rushed to see her academic advisor. While she sat in his office in tears, his phone rang with a call seeking a recommendation for a lecturer in political science and U.S. history in a strange, remote town called Pocatello. He handed her the phone. A few weeks later she was teaching at Idaho State University.

Her life in Pocatello was marked by building communities and courageous advocacy for causes she cared about, even in the face of attempts to intimidate and silence her. She joined a student protest over the Vietnam War and was dismissed from her lecturer position. Rather than be cowed, she ran for U.S. Congress on an anti-war platform.

Among a circle of like-minded progressive friends and activists, she met a handsome young VISTA volunteer who was stationed on Ft. Hall Reservation, Dennis Donnelly. They fell in love, married, had their first child, and set about making a permanent life in Pocatello. Marianne and Dennis became prominent fixtures in groups that sought to advance social justice and progressive causes, such as the League of Women Voters and the Snake River Alliance. Even as she and Dennis had two more children, Marianne actively applied her passions for education, advocacy, and writing outside the home. She was a leader in the Parent Teacher Associations at her children’s schools, focusing on Head Start and school lunch programs for disadvantaged families. She became a regular education issues columnist at the Idaho State Journal throughout the 1980s, eventually joining its staff. Yet she ultimately resigned that position in protest over its publisher’s refusal to cover opposition to a war - this time, the Gulf War. And again, she picked herself up and ran for and won a seat as a trustee on the District 25 School Board, a role she held for a decade, chairing the board for several years.

Marianne was constantly giving and nurturing. Her home was a warm and welcoming refuge and hub for cosmopolitan mixing, intellectual debate, good music and fresh-baked bread, pies, and chocolate chip cookies. She and Dennis proudly adorned their home with works by Indigenous artists who were lifelong friends. She hosted sprawling and unforgettable parties for watching the annual fireworks shows at Bartz Field in the 1980s. Throughout their lives Dennis's and her house was an informal headquarters for the Pocatello Astronomical Society to grind mirrors, assemble telescopes, and plan its exploits. Untold numbers of her children’s friends and acquaintances could always find a delicious home-cooked meal and a spare bed in a difficult moment.

Marianne is survived by her three children - Suzanne, Julianne, and David - and seven grandchildren - Brendan, Quinn, Devin, Kai, Liam, Alarie, and Theo. Her family wishes to share its profound thanks to everyone who helped protect and shepherd Marianne’s independence for years, providing many material needs and nourishing her spirit with visits and care. Hers was and is an inclusive circle of reliable and mutual support, from the VISTA and Fort Hall crowds, to all the activists, astronomers, bold eccentrics and neurodiverse friends - we are proud and grateful to consider you all our greater family!

Her family will be hosting an informal celebration of life, potluck and wake for her - a Marianne-style party! - on the afternoon of August 10. Please contact [email protected] for details on location and time.