Marion Brodarick

Rođena:25.08.1922. (Chicago, Illinois, Sjedinjene Američke Države)

Preminula:10.03.2026. (Temple Terrace, Florida, Sjedinjene Američke Države)

Dob: 103

Marion Brodarick, 103, passed away peacefully surrounded by her loving family at her Pebble Creek home in Tampa, where she and her husband of 58 years, Urban “Brod” Brodarick (deceased 2005), retired after leaving Chicago in the 1980s.

Born in Chicago in 1922, she was the daughter of Nicholas and Rita Elezovich, who both came to America from their native Croatia as teenagers. She graduated sixth in her high school class and was the editor of her school newspaper.

Marion’s love story with Brod began just after WWII ended, when she saw him across the room at a dance hall and, as she described it, “the bells rang.” They got engaged on their second date. Marion and Brod shared a lifetime of ballroom dancing, world travel, and golf, highlighted by Marion’s proud hole-in-one at Pebble Creek Golf Club in the community they cherished and where they built deep and lasting friendships.

She was extraordinarily outgoing and, after spending most of her life as a devoted stay-at-home mother, Marion embraced new roles in her 60s with Visit Tampa Bay, greeting conventioneers and proctoring the Florida Bar exam for 35 years. She became the first volunteer at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts, serving joyfully for 30 years until her mid-90s. She was a 50-year member of the PEO Sisterhood, a founder of the Pebble Creek Women’s Association, a member of Tampa Women’s Club, a board member of her homeowner’s association, a longtime contributor to Gary Nager’s Neighborhood News, and a weekly bridge player until she was 102.

Marion was an avid reader and a colorful writer. She was especially fond of novelist Michael Connelly and loved crossword puzzles, nightly TV’s Jeopardy!, and ABC’s World News Tonight with David Muir. She wrote the story of her life, witty annual Christmas letters, and never missed sending a birthday card to a loved one. She enjoyed cooking and baking for others, especially coffee cakes and Christmas sugar cookies. Her kindness, loyalty, humor, sharp memory until her final days, and deep dedication to family and friends defined her. Her warm smile welcomed all and she loved to sing.

She is survived by her daughter Ellen Fiss (Herb), son Dr. Scott Brodarick (Susan), grandchildren Garrett Fiss (fiancée Kerra Kuzmick), Olivia Fiss Crawshaw (Dylan), Taylor Brodarick (Elizabeth), and Kendall Tamny (John); nephew and nieces Leigh Ellis (Nancy), Neenah Ellis Adams (Noah), and Marissa Ellis, sister-in-law and fellow centenarian, Pat Dugan, the last of her generation, and many beloved cousins, nieces, nephews and in-laws. Her brother Len Ellis (Bee), a country radio pioneer, remained an important part of her life until his passing. She loved unconditionally and was so proud of the lives her family built.

The family is deeply grateful to the LifePath Hospice Pink Team, her Pebble Creek caregivers Pat and Lynley, and to her granddaughter Olivia and her husband Dylan, whose support allowed Marion to remain at home up until her final days.

She will be laid to rest beside her husband at Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, Florida. Upon her wishes, no formal funeral is planned.

Family and friends from around the U.S. came to Tampa for her unforgettable 100th birthday celebration, complete with a big band orchestra, and it remains the ultimate tribute. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in her name to the Straz Center for the Performing Arts, or perhaps by sharing the gift of kindness to another.

She lived her life with joy. Her family will always love her “to the moon and back”.

FOTO: Private

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