Marilyn Rose Skotzke

Marilyn Skotzke

(10/21/1930-11/22/2024)

Marilyn R. Skotzke (nee LeCotta), loving wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, cousin, and friend, passed away at the age of 94 in the early hours of Friday, November 22, 2024. Marilyn was born in Phoenix, NY, on October 21, 1930. She spent her early years working as a secretary at Crouse-Hinds in Syracuse, NY. At the same time, she also worked nights and weekends as a nightclub photographer at Three Rivers Inn, where she regularly met celebrities such as Mickey Rooney, Louis ‘Satchmo’ Armstrong, Tony Bennett, the Mills Brothers, Sammy Davis Jr., Guy Mitchell, Cab Calloway, Betty Clooney, and Nick Clooney. But family was always most important to Marilyn. She met her beloved husband, Richard A. ‘Dick’ Skotzke, while working at Crouse-Hinds. They married on October 12, 1968, in Detroit, MI, before starting their new life in Wilmington, DE, and then relocating to Ohio in 1972.

Marilyn loved her longtime home in Chesterland, her garden, and her neighbors. She worked alongside her husband for many years at Western Reserve Lighting in Cleveland before retiring in 2002. In her later years, she loved to see her grandchildren, Luke and Sadie, as well as their furbaby, Tealee, as much as possible. In between, she spent time on email and Facebook keeping up with family and friends from a distance. Marilyn’s zest for life and learning new things never wavered. She was a voracious reader, sometimes reading three books at a time. She loved sports and routinely cheered on her favorite teams. The night before her death, she savored the Browns’ win over the Steelers in a winter wonderland of snow. Marilyn will always be loved and remembered by her friends and family.

Marilyn was preceded in death by her husband of 37 years, Dick; her parents, John and Angeline (Zollo) LeCotta; her sister, Marie Blaikie; and her sister and brother-in-law, Joan and John Nicotra. Marilyn is survived by her daughter, Sara; her son and daughter-in-law, Rich and Jackie; as well as her grandchildren, Luke and Sadie; her sister-in-law, Joanne Swantick; her brothers-in-law, Bernie and Larry Skotzke and Tom Blaikie; as well as many dear nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

Visitation will be held on Friday November 29, 2024 from 6pm to 8pm, at the Clifford Shoemaker Funeral Home, 1930 Front Street, Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44221. A funeral service will be held for Marilyn at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Cuyahoga Falls on Saturday, November 30, 2024, at 1:30 pm with a visitation being held immediately before the service at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church from 12:30-1:30 pm.