Marcia L. Lauf passed away on June 1, 2022.

A lifelong Chicagoan, Marcia grew up in Jefferson Park and Edgebrook with her parents and four siblings. She graduated from Wildwood Elementary and Taft High School. She was the cherished daughter of Irving F. Lauf, Jr., and Hylda Crofts Lauf; beloved sister of the late Richard (Susan), Robert, Philip (Luisa), and Erica (Larry Blustain); proud and adoring aunt of Madeline, Catalina, and Benjamin.

For most of her working life, Marcia worked at Saks Fifth Avenue in Old Orchard as Assistant Manager in the Cosmetics department. She loved every minute of her time at Saks, especially interacting with customers and coworkers. She also loved her role as aunt and embraced it wholeheartedly. Marcia often said that, since she did not have children of her own, she had made up her mind to be the perfect aunt. She was an eager audience at swim meets, softball games, and dramatic performances and was always happy to help color Easter eggs, carve pumpkins, go trick-or-treating, and help decorate the Christmas tree. Marcia was blessed with a loving heart and a giving spirit, as well as a deep faith. She was very active in her church, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Evanston. Over the years she took on many responsibilities there---she mowed the lawn, served on the Altar Guild, folded programs, assisted with the 8:00 a.m. service on Sunday mornings, and helped organize the Blessing of the Animals activities. She felt a deep commitment to Greenwood Care Home in Evanston, helping to bring church services to the residents every Sunday afternoon, rain or shine, over the course of many years. She saw her time at Greenwood as a personal mission, and rarely missed a Sunday. She faithfully and cheerfully visited friends, relatives, and acquaintances in hospitals and nursing homes to brighten their day.

Marcia loved animals---especially cats. She had a long succession of feline companions, usually two at a time. She gave them German names and had fun creating Christmas cards about them every year. Her devoted relationship with two of her kitties was chronicled in a chapter of a book entitled, Celebrated Pet: How Americans Memorialize their Animal Friends. But she also enjoyed birds, the deer in her small local zoo, and other animals---and got a kick out of helping the local skunks avoid capture and relocation. She had a heart as big as all outdoors, and we miss her.

Her funeral will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 24, at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 939 Hinman Ave. in Evanston. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Touched by an Animal (https://touchedbyananimal.org/donate/) or The Night Ministry--Chicago (https://www.thenightministry.org/support-us).