Marilyn was born on May 25, 1929, to Bessie and Nate Wiederhorn in Cleveland, Ohio. The oldest of two, Marilyn and her sister Milly grew up in Kinsman above the much loved Wiederhorn family bakery. The two sisters could often be found working alongside their parents in the bakery, greeting customers and helping create the sweet smells of challah, mandel bread and other delicious treats.
In 1947, Marilyn met Al Shafran and they soon married and moved into their family home on Bayard Road where they lived for over 60 years. At the mere age of 21, Marilyn got the greatest surprise of her life when she gave birth to twin girls, Janice and Joyce. Her family was then complete six years later when they welcomed a third daughter, Carol.
Marilyn took great pride in creating a warm and inviting home, always playing host to the many neighborhood children, friends and family. She was the quintessential homemaker, as she could most often be found at home tidying up or in the kitchen cooking and baking. Her family always looked forward to her delicious mandel bread, famous tuna fish salad adorned with a vegetable happy face and fresh iced tea. Her grandchildren will forever remember her plopping them up on the fold out metal stool in her kitchen as she eagerly fed them her homemade food or a bowl of her favorite cereal, Corn Pops. She was also always prepared to engage them in a game of office with her plethora of scrap paper, pencils and an old fashioned rotary dial phone.
With her house coats of many colors, iconic big glasses and perfectly manicured nails, Marilyn always maintained a simple yet sophisticated style. While Marilyn possessed a very caring and gentle nature, she was also known to be witty, sharp and often times a straight shooter. Her impressive note taking, as to not forget a single detail, quick mathematical skills and immaculate cursive handwriting made her an excellent family historian, a wonderful help to her husband in his coin laundry business and a great gamer. She was always up for a game of Scrabble, Mahjong and Canasta and she loved playing cards with her grandchildren, being sure to remind them to "bosom their cards" so nobody could see them. Although she preferred to be home and wasn't much of a driver, on road trips you could always find her in the backseat of their Cadillac ready with a stack of newspapers she had saved to catch up on.
Affectionately known as GG, she truly loved her family and the feeling was mutual. She always placed her family at the forefront and her love for them was beyond compare. Whether it involved collecting news clippings or other memorabilia to share with them at their next visit or to tote around in her walker and show to friends, GG made sure to always keep tabs on her family and she could often be found beaming with pride at their many accomplishments. Not only did she instill in the them the importance of family, but she also shared with them her love of many things, including Yiddish sayings and songs.
In recent years, Marilyn moved down to Columbus to live closer to her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren and their many visits brought her much joy. Her family was grateful for the wonderful care she received during her time at both Creekside and Cherry Blossom.
Marilyn was preceded in death by parents, Bessie and Nathan Wiederhorn; husband, Alvin Shafran; daughter, Janice Roth; son-in-law's Ray Young and Jack Roth; and great-grandson, Max Shenk Genshaft. Her absence will be felt deeply by daughters Carol Young and Joyce Shenk (Chuck); sister, Mildred Lipton (Phil); grandchildren Alyssa (Ben), Andi, Maren (Marc), Jessica (Matt), Kelsey (Brandon) and Alex; great-grandchildren Sophie, Eli, Lennon, Skylar and Leo; and many nieces, nephews, grandnieces and -nephews, cousins, and dear friends.
To view this service please navigate to https://youtu.be/FUlOv50cPMo
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to The Jack Roth Fund, a cause meaningful to her entire family: The Jack Roth Fund, c/o the Columbus Jewish Foundation, 1175 College Avenue, Columbus, Ohio, 43209.
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