Marilee Heather Spanjian, wife to Richard, mother to Megan, Brooke and Sam, and grandmother to Henry, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, Oct. 30. She was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer in July 2021. In her final weeks, she was surrounded by the love of her husband, her children and their spouses in her new home on the North Shore.
Marilee will be laid to rest with her mom, whom she lost to breast cancer as a teenager, off the coast of San Diego in a private ceremony at sea.
Born in 1959 to Darren and Ann Yalian, she lived in San Diego with her parents, older brother Deran, and an ever-revolving door of farm and house animals. An avid reader and writer growing up, she graduated with a degree in journalism from the University of Southern California, Fight On!
Life for Marilee had many twists and turns and she ended up on the East Coast, in beautiful Marblehead, with the love of her life, Richard, and their three young kids — Megan, Brooke and Sam. She lived for her children, a devoted mother who supported and championed them. They carry on her legacy, and will remember her as spirited, generous and larger than life.
As a fearless leader for her family, she was always up for a challenge. For 10 years (2012-2022), she and her husband, Richard, transformed The Inn at Weathersfield in Perkinsville, Vermont, into a picturesque escape for families to make memories over delicious farm-to-table food. Prior to that, people were lucky enough to know Marilee through her other careers as a freelance journalist at The Tennessean, custom home builder and cooking class host, all of which were inspired by her love of people and their stories.
For the last 14 months she entered a new job as “Mimi” — she was the greatest grandmother to Henry, playing and caring for him even when she was suffering her own sickness. He will always know how much Mimi loved him.
She and Richard shared a beautiful, vibrant life together and their love story was one for the ages. They demonstrated their love to each other everyday. Dancing or kissing in the kitchen, laughing at their favorite show or going on long beach walks accompanied by one of their beloved dogs.
The family will continue to walk in her footsteps, carrying her memory with them every day.
To honor Marilee, we ask that you support by donating in her memory to METAvivor, a nonprofit that funds vital research to help improve the longevity and quality of life for metastatic breast cancer (stage 4) patients. Visit metavivor.org
