Marilyn Kathleen Speakman departed her loving family to be with the Lord and rejoin the loved ones who preceded her on February 2, 2024 in her 85th year of life in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
When Mom passed, the earth moved on its axis. A powerful moment. Growing up, knowing her, she was always trying to make things work, even in the face of heavy resistance. She wasn’t one to go quietly, yet always appeared reserved. She couldn’t always control the goings on, yet she always battled under circumstances she faced. She never gave up, despite odds, and much of the time the odds were against her. Mom struggled to come through for her children, and always smiled, though at times, if you looked into her eyes, you knew her pain.
She was born in Buffalo NY to Thaddeus “Theodore” and Kathleen Trzecki (Tretts) on June 23, 1938. Marilyn’s Dad came from Poland and her Mom from Ireland. Like, many immigrant families Marilyn’s parents decided to shorten their names to become more “americanized” and thus the name Tretts came to be.
Growing up in Buffalo Marilyn met Mr. Lawrence Debski of Buffalo NY at their favorite soda shop on Clinton Street and the couple fell in love. On September 7, 1957 at the young age of 19, she married Lawrence. Together they brought 4 beautiful children into the world two daughters: Patricia and Susan, and 2 sons: Lawrence Jr. and John.
Marilyn’s legacy would continue as after many years she divorced and met Mr. Donald Arthur Speakman of Sault Ste Marie, Ontario Canada. They married on June 19, 1970 and two additional wonderful children were born into this “Brady Bunch” – one son; James and one daughter; Kathleen.
Possessing a great passion for numbers and math, she started early in life as a bank teller for Marine Midland Bank. Continuing to follow her passion of numbers she later became Comptroller of the New York State Prison in Elmira. Later, she and her husband Donald would try their hand at a family-owned business and launched and operated three NY style diners which they enjoyed greatly. The children were all trained and raised in the business and the lessons learned would help shape their lives and contribute to their individual successes.
Mom loved her pets and through the years had many. They were her “additional children” as she lovingly called them. Mom was quick to smile, love to sit quietly and read a romance or mystery novel, and thoroughly enjoyed spending time with her family especially her boys and was enamored with her son’s stories of travel throughout the world.
Through life Marilyn had a great love for Our Lord & Savior. She was predeceased in death by her first husband Lawrence Debski and her second husband Donald Speakman, her parents Thaddeus & Kathleen Trzecki (Tretts), and a brother “Teddy” Theodore Tretts. She is survived in memory by her children: a daughter Patricia and Richard Flannigan (Debski) of Key West FL, a son Lawrence and Melanie Debski of Pensacola FL, a daughter Susan Sullivan (Debski) of Hamburg NY, a son John and Bobbi Debski of Virginia Beach VA, a son James and Marlene Speakman of Arizona and a daughter Kate Speights (Speakman) of Virginia Beach VA.
Family is the greatest gift and besides Marilyn’s surviving children she leaves the earth knowing her family has been strongly built with 30 grandchildren and 33 great grandchildren along with one additional blessing due to arrive in May 2024. Marilyn Kathleen Tretts-Speakman lives on in all our hearts – until we meet again Mom!
A “Celebration of Life” is planned for early summer in Buffalo NY, where the family in memory will spread the ashes of both Mom and Dad “Poppo”, together once again.
