Marian Nowak

Marian H. Nowak, nee Sutula, died Wednesday, August 6, 2025 in Chicago. She was 12 days shy of her 93rd birthday. Marian was the mother of three children: Cathleen (Timothy) Bollin, Karen (Roger) Frueh and Glenn, the beloved Grammie of Laura (Drew) Davis and Michelle (Mark) Ulis and loving Great Grammie of Harrison and Harper Davis.She was a native of Clifton, New Jersey, and attended Patterson Teachers’ College, now William Patterson University, where she earned a degree in education. She met her future husband, the late Gerald “Jerry” Nowak at an Army dance in Fort Monmouth. After their engagement, Marian moved to Chicago, where Gerald lived, and they married in 1955. They were married for 57 years until his death in 2013. Marian worked as a Chicago Public Schools elementary school teacher for 20 years, earning a Who’s Who of America’s Teachers award in 1994. She was never happier than when she was out for a walk, with her husband or one of her dogs, either in her Lincoln Park neighborhood or in one of her favorite parks in Door County, Wisconsin. If she wasn't walking, she enjoyed solving crossword puzzles, watching Jeopardy! and reading the Chicago Tribune daily. On Sundays in the fall, you would always find her cheering on her chosen team, the Green Bay Packers. She was an avid knitter, especially afghan blankets for her family. She was never far from a packet of M&Ms, her favorite snack.Marian will be missed by so many. In lieu of donations, please take a walk in your neighborhood.