Baruch Dayan HaEmet – Marion Kreith z”l

Marion Kreith died of heart failure on December 27th, 2025 at age 98. She was lucid and in good spirits to the very end, and she wanted to make sure to thank everyone who crossed her path for what they contributed, in one way or another, to make her life as rich as it was.

Marion was born in Altona, Germany. Her parents, John and Rose Finkels, owned a small dry goods store and life was comfortable until Hitler started his plan to exterminate all Jews. In 1938 the family emigrated to Belgium and then to Cuba. Her daughter Judy, with the help of cinematographer Robin Truesdale, made a film about her life in Havana called ‘Cuba’s Forgotten Jewels : A Haven in Havana‘. The jewels refer to her working in the diamond industry in order to support her family. The family was finally allowed to come to the states in March of 1946, and they settled in Los Angeles.

It was there that she met her husband Frank Kreith and with him she had an extraordinarily exciting life. Frank became a well known engineer and educator in both heat transfer and solar energy, and they traveled all over the world, always combining a professional meeting with a great vacation. They had three children, Michael , Marcia and Judy who made her exceedingly happy. Marion had many jobs: she was a Democratic Precinct Woman for two ten-year stints; she helped her husband in his professional work; while getting an MA in French at CU she taught preliminary French classes and was also invited to give a class of French literature in English translation in the Honors Program.

She had a short stint teaching reading to the inmates at the Boulder jail. She and Frank owned some real estate, and Marion became a kind and conscientious landlady to her many renters. She was happy to have been invited to the Retired Faculty Book Club and wishes its members well. She felt that except for the Holocaust and losing her son to suicide, she lived a blessed life for which she was exceedingly grateful.

Marion is survived by her two daughters, Marcia (George Horsham) and Judy (Chris Jenkins) and three grandchildren: Sarah and Arielle Klein and her Irish grandson Daniel Kreith; by her sister Ada Bakalar and her two children, Aaron and Andrea, and Andrea’s children, Kohl and Madison. She also has an extended family in Belgium. On her husband’s side she is survived by the Culler family.

There is a lovely Jewish phrase that says that the best legacy a person can leave behind is a “Shem Tov” – a good name. We feel that Marion has fulfilled that legacy well.

If you wish to make a memorial donation, please send it to Clinica Health and Wellness – 1455 Dixon Ave. Lafayette, CO 80026, The Colorado Musical Festival, or a charity of your choice.

There will be a celebration of life for Marion in the near future.