Marie was born to Sicilian parents Theresa and Joseph Falcone in Kansas City’s Northeast District on September 2, 1930,
Marie attended Garfield Elementary School and Northeast High School in Kansas City and went on to Kansas City Junior College, eventually graduating from Kansas City University, (now UMKC), where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Sociology.
Marie loved so much and had so much love to give. She was drawn to the water, her swimsuit her preferred attire. The piano was her lifelong companion, one which provided her a musical voice to soothe and to serenade.
Delicious Italian recipes informed Marie’s cooking and set her high bar of expectation. Marie loved to dance, travel, read, walk, laugh, volunteer, learn, teach, mentor and listen. Marie made you feel good; she was a special friend to have. Marie was a 40-year cancer survivor. She loved her Kansas City community, showering it for decades with her endless generosity, activism, fund-raising and philanthropy. And Marie loved the men in her life: Paul, with whom they raised five wonderful children in their image, and Wayne, her close companion for nearly a decade.
Marie was driven – constantly challenging herself and inspiring those she came in contact with. Countless community members looked up to Marie. Early in her professional career Marie envisioned a platform for women’s empowerment, creating the Urban League and then the Women’s Leadership Institute, non-profits that provided women skills and inspiration to develop professionally. Marie grew to be a prominent civic leader and a master at marketing and fundraising, learning on the job as she contributed to early campaigns for the Nelson Atkins Museum, Heartland Council of Camp Fire and Menorah Medical Center. She started her own business, Marie Whitmer & Associates and led successful campaigns raising money for St Peters Parish, Unity Temple on The Plaza and Redemptorist Church amongst others as well as fundraising for arts and social service organizations, small and large, including extensive pro bono work. Marie received the coveted fundraising certification from the National Society of Fundraising Executives and served on the Kansas City Council for Philanthropy. Marie took great pride in her many years of volunteer service to the Conservatory of Music including service as a founding member of the Friends of Conservatory Board of Directors. She was always in attendance at the musical events, loving the music and working the room in one of her signature Marie hats. Marie was a member of KC Rotary Club 13 for 30 years during which time she was a strategic advisor and involved with multiple fundraising efforts including its Rotary Youth Camp. Four years after women joined Rotary, Marie became the first woman Director of the KC Rotary Foundation Board. They loved her at Rotary! Marie’s career in development as a fundraiser and mentor to countless women and men left an indelible mark on Kansas City. Celebrate Life!!
Marie is survived by her children, Timothy Whitmer of Kansas City and his wife, Pattie; Gary Whitmer of Kansas City, his wife, Margaret and their two children, Catherine and Thomas; Brian Whitmer of Sonoma, CA, his wife Laura and his two children, Claire and Justin; and Paula Marie Franzen, Seattle, WA, and her husband, Michael; and two brothers, Robert Falcone of Huntington Beach, CA and Angelo Falcone of Kansas City, five nieces and nephews and numerous great nieces and nephews.
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