Obituary of Mariellen Veronica Rybicki

Mariellen Rybicki. April 6, 2024. Age 79. 

Beloved wife of Bob, sister of Judy Enderle, mother of Dr. Robert (Roberta) Rybicki, Maria Newman, and Julie (Nebo) Nedeljkovic. Grandmother of Alexa Rybicki, Alison Rybicki, Aaron Rybicki, Trevor Newman, Harley Newman, Amelia Newman, and Marko Nedeljkovic.  Died at home surrounded by loved ones from complications of multiple sclerosis.

Mariellen was born in Detroit, MI on October 15, 1944 to Ted and Ellenore Ross. She graduated from Mercy High School in 1962 and earned a BA degree from the University of Detroit in 1966. That same year, she married Bob, the love of her life and soon started a family.  

In 1973, she moved with her family to Caracas, Venezuela where she learned Spanish and established close friendships.

The family moved back to Michigan 2 years later where, while raising her family, she earned a dental technician degree and worked as a dental assistant for 10 years.

Mariellen was a person of character.  She was intelligent, kind, competitive, and compassionate.  She was the anchor of her marriage, the moral and intellectual guide for her family.

We enjoyed her subtle humor and her surprising wealth of knowledge and wisdom.  

She made friends easily and maintained those friendships throughout her life.  She had a soft and quiet presence that was pleasing and heart warming. She cared for others and was always responsive to their needs and was dearly and deeply loved.

She never let her progressive, disabling disease of MS slow her down or be a source of complaint.  It never defeated her until it took her life, and as it did, she fought it defiantly.

Her family and friends are all better off for having known her and for that reason we all miss her.