Obituary of Genevieve Lucille Lyons Marnach
Genevieve Lucille Lyons Marnach was born near the small town of Greenwich, Ohio on September 14, 1924, to Clarence and Ruth (McLaughlin) Lyons. She and her sister, Mildred, grew up on a farm nearby. She attended schools in Greenwich, graduating from high school in 1942.
After high school she both worked in a munitions factory during WWII and earned her secretarial certificate with skills in both typing and shorthand, now a lost skill. She eventually earned enough money to put herself thru college at Ohio State University, in Columbus, Ohio. Summers and spare time were spent earning the money to pay for tuition and books. She spent several summers at a Lake George (NY) resort, working as a housekeeper, but managed to swing a few trips to New York for adventure. Genevieve graduated in 1951 with a Bachelor’s degree in Education and a minor in Spanish.
After finishing college, Genevieve planned a trip to Los Angeles to visit her cousins. Enjoying her trip, she found a summer job and fell in love with the city she called her home for more than 60 years. She worked at several jobs in LA, meeting co-workers and making friends. Many of these friends became lifelong companions, including one, Bea Poots, who introduced her to Ray Marnach, the man she would share her life with, for more than 50 years. Ray and Ginny celebrated their marriage with four week honeymoon in Europe, a trip that Ray was willing to quit his job to manage. 40 years later, Ray retired from the same company, so I guess it all worked out.
After their marriage in1958, they moved to their home in Westchester, a neighborhood of Los Angeles near the beach. Here, their family expanded to include daughters Lisa and Karen. Genevieve was a stay-at-home mom throughout most of her children’s high school years, and was aways involved in PTA, Girl Scouts and youth group activities. She and Ray enjoyed their kids’ activities, and their own church groups. They managed to win a dishwasher on the TV show Truth or Consequences, when Ginny successfully guessed that Ray WOULD pet the puppies playing in a bassinet offstage. An easy guess if you knew Ray. The Marnach family travelled quite a lot, with summer driving vacations around the US, family trips to see Ray’s family in Watsonville and many summer and winter trips to see Ginny’s family in Ohio.
After Lisa and Karen left for college, Genevieve returned to school to take a computer class and return to the workforce. Genevieve worked temp jobs for local aerospace companies, assisted a close friend with mailings, and managed a magazine delivery service in Santa Monica and Venice. She was thrilled to have Jimmy Doolittle on her route. She joined the church choir, being a second soprano for more than 15 years. Ginny spent her spare time travelling around the city she came to love, visiting old friends and her children, when they returned to the metropolis. She volunteered for many years at the local food bank and helped out at the church with candles and Messengers. Ginny always loved music and attended many musicals at the Music Center in downtown LA as well as summer events at the Hollywood Bowl. She imparted her love of music to both daughters.
She and Ray continued to travel including Alaskan and Panama Canal cruises and trips to Europe, Hawaii and Australia. They also participated in the AFS program hosting several students during their visits to LA. After Ray’s death in 2012, Ginny stayed in LA for two years before relocating to Houston to be closer to her daughter Karen. Genevieve was blessed with very good health and a long life. She managed to make 100 years, 3 months and 25 days before her passing on January 9, 2025. She was preceded by her parents, sister and husband and is survived by her eldest daughter Lisa and Mark (McMullen) and granddaughter April and younger daughter Karen and husband Adam (Schaechter).
If you wish to do something, in remembrance of Genevieve, please make a donation to your local food bank. She would be grateful.