Marilyn I. (Shay) Gessaman

On a quiet Friday evening, January 4, 2019, Marilyn Irene Gessaman, 85, gently welcomed eternal life while at Windsor House at Omni Manor Health Care Center in Youngstown, Ohio. Marilyn was born in Youngstown, Ohio on October 11, 1933 to Matthew H. and Ruth G. (Johnston) Shay. Due to her young mother's illness and eventual passing,  Marilyn was raised, for a brief time, by relatives in East Palestine, Ohio. She rejoined her father and two brothers, Bill and Dick, at home on Detroit Avenue, in Youngstown, and soon  welcomed her step-mother, Olive Heaslip Shay and her sister, Judith Shay. 
Marilyn was a graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School's class of 1952. After high school, she began a long career, surpassing 40 years, as a nurse's aide at South Side Hospital in Youngstown. She was a member of Teamsters Local 377 and the hospital retiree's bowling league. Marilyn loved to travel and was fond of lighthouses. Often, she took bus trips to various lighthouses along the Great Lakes and the east coast, as well as anywhere else that peaked her interest. She also enjoyed playing Bingo at local churches and halls.
Marilyn was preceded in death by her parents and her step-mother, her brother, Harry William (Bill) Shay and his wife, Virginia, whom she helped appreciably during Bill's illness, and a nephew, Daniel T. Shay.
Marilyn is survived by her brother and sister, R. Richard (Dick) Shay and Judith Prokop, both of Boardman, Ohio, a nephew, Frank (Holly) Prokop, nieces Ruth Feltner, Virginia (Michael) Chizmar, Janet (Douglas) Zolla, and Karen Piper, as well as a number of great and great-great nieces and nephews.
A celebration of Marilyn's life will be announced at a later date. 

Arrangements by Cremation & Funeral Service by Gary S Silvat Inc.  Send condolences to Marilyn's family by visiting: www.cremateohio.com.

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