Marilyn E. Reilly
November 7, 1949 ~ November 15, 2025
Born in: Portland, Maine
Resided in: South Portland, Maine
South Portland – Marilyn E. Reilly, 76, passed away at her home on November 15, 2025. Marilyn was born on November 7, 1949, in Portland, daughter of the late Michael and Virginia (Voyer) Reilly.
Marilyn lived her whole life in South Portland, growing up in Sunset Park, or as she often referred to it as a suburb of Thornton Heights. As a child, her family kept rabbits and Marilyn especially loved them and continued to enjoy rabbits her entire life.
She attended South Portland High School, graduating in 1968. She went on to earn different degrees from UM Orono, USM, Andover College, and Kaplan University in Biology and industrial technology manufacturing.
She began a lifelong career as a scientist working with Stauffer Chemical Company, Ventrix Labs, and finally retiring at Fairchild Semiconductor.
She was a communicant at St. John’s the Evangelist in Thornton Heights and St. Maximilian Kolbe Church. She also participated in several church committees. She was also involved in many committees with the City of South Portland and would bake goodies for the hardworking City Hall employees during busy times to support them!
Marilyn loved the Portland Headlight, she would enjoy her lunch there and collected many artworks of the lighthouse. She would always make a point to show visitors and people from away, the Portland Headlight.
Marilyn is survived by her sister, Anne Marie Sheedy; several cousins and their families; and many special friends who will miss her.
The family would like to extend a special thank you to all of Marilyn’s friends who took the time to help her as she aged and could no longer driver; especially to Darren Shaff who supported her for the last ten years.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11am on December 2, 2025, at St. Maximilian Kolbe Church, 150 Black Point Rd. Scarborough, followed by a burial at Evergreen Cemetery, 672 Stevens Ave. Portland.
Services
Mass of Christian Burial: Tuesday, December 2, 2025 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
St. Maximilian Kolbe
150 Black Point Road
Scarborough, Maine 04074
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Mass of Christian Burial
150 Black Point Road,Scarborough, Maine 04074
Graveside Service: Tuesday, December 2, 2025 12:30 pm
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Graveside Service
672 Stevens Avenue,Portland, Maine 04103
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David and I were fortunate to have Marilyn as a good friend and neighbor. She was warm, genuine, and had a great laugh. Marilyn enjoyed reading the ‘Bangor Daily News’ and knew I am from Bangor, so she would often share a particularly interesting article with me. Usually the articles dealt with some scientific breakthrough in medicine. David and I will miss Marilyn.
Marilyn and I went to South Portland High School together. She was a really smart girl, very kind spirited. Peace to her spirit.
I remember her giving me a compliment for turns 40 and looking good for my age. She was a delight to work for at Fairchild. Back then we celebrated birthdays, babe showers, work anniversaries and many more adventures. We were family. My condolences to the family.
I worked as a peer of Marilyn’s for several years at National/Fairchild Semiconductor. She was an excellent manufacturing supervisor with a passion for excellence. She was a skilled leader and manager of the crews she worked with and you could always count on her to get the job done. She was dedicated and serious but had a great sense of humor. We shared a lot of laughter at times and she will be missed. Rest In Peace, Marilyn.
Marilyn and I worked together at Stauffer Chemical Company until 1980 when the location ceased operations. As a peer in the Quality Control lab, she was a studious scientist and friend. She always gave her best and shared the daily test results of our choclate milk, which was a requirement of the Quality Control staff. Although our career paths changed , I fondly remember her conscientousness and her Christian faith. May she rest in peace and rise in glory.
Luckily I got to see her to celebrate her 76th birthday and have been getting to know her over the past 10 years. We met doing volunteer work for the South Portland Senior Workgroup. At first we would visit at the childhood home she grew up in on Augusta Street. But that became challenging later in life and she moved to the Besty Ross House. She has an amazing view of the treetops and out to the islands from the “penthouse.”
I loved Marilyn’s spunk! Her stories of being a scientist and loving biology as a woman in the 1960s and early 70s were so interesting. She told a story once when she was in a biology class and they were doing field study in the marshes. Because the professor wasn’t used to female students, all of the boots to do the field work in the mud were sized for men. But Marilyn did her best and trudged around in them, until ultimately the got suck in the mud and she got wet. She said her dad had to come to bring her dry clothes!
Marilyn was also involved in developing a chemical compound that was needed in the chip manufacturing process, which was patented. Her work on that project helped jobs stay in Maine.
As others have said, she loved her Dairy Queen and she loved peanuts. I used to bring her the super crunchy VIrgina peanuts and we just shared some when we celebrated her birthday. I am grateful I got to see her.
We used to go on drives together and one trip I took her to New Castle Beach in NH and we shared sandwiches and many stories from her childhood.
Marilyn truly championed people with physical disabilities and seniors who were home bound. She used to send dozens of cards, cartoons, and other small treats to people. I will truly miss her notes with the very small but meticulous cursive handwriting.
I hope Marilyn is skipping in the heavens with angel wings and fresh legs. I will cherish all the stories she shared. I send her with love and light.
Also, I love that the picture of her is one I took as we sat near the picnic tables on a summer day.