Obituary for Marianne Weening

Marianne Weening (nee Wiggelendam), beloved mother and grandmother, passed away peacefully on December 29, 2017 at Penn Hospice in Philadelphia after a short illness.

Marianne was born to Johan and Johanna Wiggelendam on May 29, 1923 in Roermond, the Netherlands, where she also graduated from high school. Her father was a heroic small-town physician and their family survived both the horrific Nazi SS occupation of Holland and the Battle of the Bulge. After World War II, she was a registered nurse in Holland and Switzerland and a maternity nurse for two years at Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia.

In 1957 Marianne married her devoted husband Louis Weening and moved to the U.S., and together they raised a family of four boys. The couple resided in Drexel Hill, PA for 50 years. When her sons were older, she worked as a teacher’s aide for 15 years in Upper Darby and Delaware County schools, assisting special needs students, especially students with emotional disturbance. Throughout her life Marianne was an active volunteer, as a Den Mother for the Cub Scouts, President of the Drexel Hill Elementary Home & School Association, and a member of the Choir, Sunday School, and Committee of Elders in the Christ United Presbyterian Church.

After retiring from formal work, she spent 15 years as a volunteer supervisor for Upper Darby Meals on Wheels. Her avocations included word games, puzzles, reading, gardening, and she was an outstanding ping-pong player!

Marianne is survived by her sons Joseph, Richard, Robert, and Frederick; and grandchildren Amanda, Thomas, Ryan, Lia, Marianne, and Katie. Louis predeceased her in 2008. She was the last surviving member of that greatest of generations in her family – and she will always be remembered for her amazingly determined strength of character.