Marion Herrmann Wertheim, a beloved resident of Weston, Easton, and Redding, Connecticut, died peacefully on January 27, 2025, at the age of 102.
Born in the Bronx, New York, to Anne Hausman and Alfred Herrmann, Marion spent her early years in New York City. She graduated from Principia College in Illinois in 1944. Her work during the war led her to California, where she earned a graduate degree in education and taught school.
Marion loved California and, as a member of the Sierra Club, she spent many wonderful days hiking, camping, and skiing. In 1948, she and Joe Wertheim eloped to San Francisco. The couple returned to the East Coast, first settling in Levittown, New York, and then in Weston, where they raised their three children. Marion and Joe were married for nearly 70 years until Joe’s death in 2017. They were founding members of the Unitarian Universalist Church in Westport, where they formed lasting friendships and helped build the congregation.
While her husband established a tea business, Marion worked as a substitute teacher in the Weston schools. She spent many years raising her children and volunteering for political and educational causes throughout the community. Marion was instrumental in founding “Art Goes to School,” a non-profit that brought arts education to underserved areas of Fairfield County.
As part of Joe’s tea business, Marion and Joe traveled extensively. Their travels enriched their lives and the lives of their children and brought them countless memories, which they often shared with family and friends.
Marion was a passionate gardener, cultivating flower and tree plantings that reflected her love of nature and her artistic spirit. Her home and garden were a source of joy to her.
Always one to love a party, Marion was a wonderful hostess and was celebrated for her joie de vivre. She had boundless energy. Marion loved sports — she continued to hike, ski, swim, and play golf and tennis for most of her life. Until a couple of years ago, she could be found walking up to three miles a day. Marion spent her final years at Meadow Ridge in Redding, where she was a beloved member of the community, admired for her lively spirit, outspokenness, sense of humor, and enduring strength.
Both Marion and Joe were deeply involved in humanitarian causes — they truly believed in giving everyone a helping hand and lived these values throughout their lives.
Marion is survived by her three children, Susan, Mary and Andrew; six grandchildren, Laura, Tim, Matthew, Michael, Warren, and Lucy; seven great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. She is also survived by two other close families — the Chungs and the Lies, of Staten Island and Methuen, Massachusetts, and the Uwera and Vunika-Uwiduhaye families of Westchester County and Duchess County. Her parents and her brother, Bernard, predeceased her.
Marion never forgot her Christian Science roots, and her legacy is one of love, optimism, dedication, vitality, and a profound appreciation for life’s beauty. She will be deeply missed by all who knew her.
A memorial service will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Westport at 11:00 a.m. on May 10, 2025. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Marion’s memory to the Aspetuck Land Trust in Westport and The Planned Parenthood Federation of America.
