Simon, Marion

( nee Elisberg) Spent her life serving others and the City of Chicago. She lived a seemingly paradoxical life; one that blended the strict expectations of high society with a grounded understanding of the needs of the world around her. She will be remembered by many as a devoted philanthropist, influential fundraiser, and generous socialite.

Simon was born in 1918 in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago, IL, the only child of the late Lillian Drucker Elisberg and Harry Elisberg. She attended University of Chicago and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in English in 1939. In 1942, at the outbreak of WWII, she married Eugene ( Bud) Simon. Bud was part of a large, close- knit family, who summered at the family’s historic home on Big Cedar Lake, WI. Simon spent her summers with this family, who quickly became her own and would serve as her support system throughout the rest of her life. After the War, Simon started work on her Master’s degree in Social Work at University of Chicago. Inspired by her courses and determined to actively contribute to the Chicago community, she began volunteering on the Community Center Board for Cabrini- Green, a public housing complex in Chicago. She developed close connections to the young women in this community and worked tirelessly to provide them with educational tools and opportunities to build the lives they dreamed of. During her tenure there, she helped establish a library, provided health education through Planned Parenthood, and raised money for Cabrini and the Chicago Youth Centers. She eventually became President of the Community Center Board.

Around this time, Simon began a family of her own. She and Bud had two girls, Kathleen Simon Poster in 1943 and Toni Celeste Simon in 1946. Her daughters were both successful in their own right and preceded her in death.

Simon’s desire to support the city of Chicago included the animal community at the Lincoln Park Zoo. She joined the Zoo’s Board in the 1960’ s and her efforts helped create the Farm- in- the- Zoo, complete the renovations of Cafe Brauer and raise $ 40 million for the reimagining of the Zoo. She would continue her work on the Board for the next 50 years and prior to her retirement, she was the Board’s oldest member with the most years of service. In the mid- 1970’ s, Simon joined the Medical Research Institute Council of Michael Reese Hospital. She chaired the Crystal Ball fundraiser and raised millions of dollars for the hospital. Her ties and commitment to the medical research community led her to develop a role as Patient Advocate at Michael Reese. As the Patient Advocate, she trained thousands of hospital employees to treat patients with dignity and respect. Her work at Michael Reese led her to develop Patient Advocacy Programs at Children’s Memorial, Rush Presbyterian, Northwestern Memorial, University of Chicago and Christ Hospitals. Her passion for education and desire to respond to the needs of students inspired her to assemble the Chicago Board at Roosevelt University. This multiethnic board was established to reflect the diversity of the University and raise money for scholarships for the School of Music. Simon’s fundraising also led to the restoration of the Auditorium Theater. To honor her daughter Kathy, who died in 2005 from kidney failure, Simon joined the Board of the National Kidney Foundation. She helped create the Kidney Mobile, a mobile effort that has screened thousands of people for hypertension, diabetes and kidney disease.

Simon’s work in Chicago carried on after her formal retirement at the age of 87 until the end of her life. She died peacefully at the age of 99, surrounded by her care- giver, Ning Hegland and her cousins, Sally Salzer and Barb Svarz. Her love and care for the people and city of Chicago will continue to live on through her family and the lives of those she touched and influenced.

Funeral services will be private. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Lincoln Park Zoo, www.lpzoo.org, University of Chicago, www.uchicago.edu, or the National Kidney Foundation, www.kidney.org.