Marianne Brish Evett
Age 88, passed peacefully on February 4th, from heart failure. She is survived by her beloved children, Charles and wife Page Elmore of Acton, Benjamin and wife Kelli Edwards of Arlington, and Sophia and husband Brian Cali of Arlington; grandchildren, Nora and husband Jeremie, Alice, Toby, Spencer, Dashiell, Abby, Maria, and Jessalyn; sisters, Margaret Wagner and Marcia and husband David Shenk and their children and grandchildren; her large extended family, and by many dear friends, students, and coworkers whom she welcomed into her home as family over the years. Marianne was the daughter of Rachel Stottlemyer Brish and William Brish. She was married to the love of her life, David Hal Evett (d. 2011), for over 50 years. Family was of utmost importance to her, and she and David moved from Cleveland to Boston in 2001 to be near their children and grandchildren who lovingly referred to her as Gaia.
Marianne was born in Frederick, MD and later, her family moved to Hagerstown, MD. She earned a Bachelor's degree at Randolph Macon College, a Master’s degree in English at Cornell University, and a Ph.D in English Literature at Harvard University where she met David and her lifelong friend Emita Hill. David came to a dinner party at her house. He was the first to arrive and the last to leave. They were married 8 months later.
Marianne’s love of words was reflected in her passions and her work. She worked as a journalist at Vogue Magazine, an English professor at the Cleveland Institute of Art, the theater critic for the Cleveland Plain Dealer and Northern Ohio Live Magazine. In retirement, she was editor of the church newsletter. She was President of the American Theater Critics Association and an annual reader for the Francesca Primus Prize for Emerging Woman Playwrights. She loved live theater, avidly worked crossword puzzles, and was a voracious reader.
Marianne and David shared a passion for travel, cooking, throwing parties, dancing, and their nightly martinis. She loved to sit at the beach, especially with her sisters, read a good book, and enjoy a feast of Maryland blue crab.
Marianne was generous and loving. She was an active member of her churches, St. Paul’s Church in East Cleveland, Trinity Cathedral in Cleveland, and All Saints in Brookline. And she was an avid supporter of the performing arts and organizations advocating social and environmental justice, amongst others. In lieu of flowers, the family would be grateful if you would make a donation in her honor to one of the following: All Saints Parish, Boston Cecilia, American Theatre Critics Association Foundation, Planned Parenthood, or a charity that reflects your relationship with Marianne.
A funeral service will be live-streamed from All Saints Parish, Brookline, on Saturday February 27 at 4:00pm, with a virtual reception to follow. Please visit Keefe Funeral Home for more information and to leave remembrances. A burial will be held at Mount Auburn Cemetery in April, when her remains will be laid to to rest by David’s side.
Links:
All Saints Parish Brookline, MA: https://allsaintsbrookline.org
Boston Cecilia: http://www.bostoncecilia.org
American Theatre Critics Association Foundation: https://americantheatrecritics.org/foundation-atca/
Planned Parenthood: https://www.plannedparenthood.org