Marianna Ley

Marianna (Shandley) Ley, age 85, passed away peacefully on Monday, December 22, 2025, surrounded by the love and presence of her children.

She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Robert Peter Ley; parents; Donald and Francis (Truax) Shandley; sisters; Kathy and Teresa; brothers, Jim and Ronald.

Marianna is survived by her five children: Kevin Ley (Cynthia), Cassandra Ley, Gregory Ley, Lisa Faffler (David), and Michael Ley. She is also survived by seven grandchildren -Nathan, Madeleine, Aaron, and Samuel Ley (siblings); Joshua and Christopher Faffler (siblings); and Lucy McCurdy (Austin) - as well as one great-grandbaby. She is further survived by brothers Tom (Barb) and Roger (Mary), her sister Donna, and many cousins, nieces, and nephews.

Marianna was born on July 23, 1940, in Rochester, Minnesota, and grew up in Minneapolis. A 1958 graduate of Holy Angels High School, she cherished a small circle of lifelong friends. She often reminisced about early travel and adventures and fondly recalled the countless magical winter hours figure skating with friends on Nicollet Avenue's beautiful public rinks. Skating was just one of many joys that filled her life.

Marianna also enjoyed time spent with family, friends, people, and simple things like reading, gardening, volunteering, and traveling whenever the opportunity arose. Her gardens were a true labor of love, overflowing with fruits, vegetables, grapevines, plants, and vibrant flowers that often made their way into the house on a plate with a meal, or flowers carefully arranged in a vase. Her children recall that wherever there was space – inside or out – something needed to be planted, arranged, nurtured, loved, watered, and grown. Above all, her deepest love and joy were for her husband, children, and grandchildren, whose lives were enriched by the time, care, and love she so generously gave.

In her early years, Marianna worked in several roles - from phone operator, bookkeeper, and waitress to Avon lady and seamstress. As a seamstress, her passion and creativity for sewing, tailoring, fashion design, and clothing were unmistakable. She could often be heard softly humming or singing while immersed in a project, surrounded by fabrics, threads, pins, needles, and tissue-paper patterns. Later, she worked as an administrative assistant at the Catholic Education Center, where she played an important role in establishing a centralized library for educational programs.

In later years, Marianna and her husband Bob moved to River Falls, Wisconsin, where they built a hobby farm and boarded horses.

After the heartbreaking loss of her husband of 28 years in 1990, she demonstrated remarkable strength and quiet resilience, navigating life’s challenges with grace, one step at a time. Through her steady resilience and gentle spirit, she wove a beautiful tapestry of relationships—marked by generosity, kindness, and a sincere desire to make others feel seen, valued, and loved. Even into retirement, Marianna remained active in service-oriented work, finding joy in friendships, conversation, and simply being present with others.

Marianna was a devoted wife, homemaker, and mother to her beloved five children, celebrating their joys and sharing their sorrows throughout life. She had a special gift and resolve for making seasons, holidays, birthdays, and everyday moments meaningful and joyful for her family through cooking, baking, music, decorations, games, crafts, and family adventures—from the backyard to neighborhood parks and vacations together. When her grandchildren arrived, she especially treasured her role as “Nana”. Time spent at Nana’s house was considered pure gold, as she poured her heart into creating warm, joyful, and fun humor-filled memories that her grandchildren will carry with them always.

Marianna was a truly loving and beloved wife, mom, grandma, and friend who lived a life marked by faith, strength, courage, and love. Her love continues to live on in our hearts, and she will be deeply and dearly missed.

Memorials preferred to: Coco’s Heart Dog Rescue – 449 County Road VV Somerset, WI (Website: www.cocosheartdogrescue.org)

A visitation will be held on January 15, 2026, from 10:00 am to 11:00 am at Wulff Woodbury Funeral Home, located at 2195 Woodlane Drive, Woodbury, Minnesota, 55125.

Following the visitation, a Celebration of Life will take place at the same venue, beginning at 11:30 am.

A private committal service is scheduled for January 15, 2026.