Marjorie June Alaimo

December 23, 2023

Marjorie June Alaimo, 93, passed away peacefully at her home at Villa Marin in San Rafael, Calif., on December 23, 2023 surrounded by her loving family and caregivers. The youngest of five born on a small ranch outside Cody, Wyo. Marjorie attended a one-room schoolhouse, which she often reached on horseback. The ranch had no running water or electricity until after her teens. Her father and brothers herded cattle, and she watched and learned from her mother as she pumped water, started the wood stove, baked bread and pies, and canned fruits and vegetables for winter. Marjorie said they were fortunate to have a food supply during the Depression, and she remembered neighbor children alternating which day they attended school by sharing shoes.

Growing up on a ranch meant many escapades, like rolling downhill in pickling barrels, raising and playing with pets and farm animals, and trick or treating by horseback. Marjorie loved the mountain wildflowers, especially Indian paintbrush and lilacs.

Along with her older brother, James, mom battled polio as a teenager. Although she was able to walk and ride after months of rehabilitation, she was affected for the remainder of her life. Her older brother, Charles, a future rodeo rider, surprised her by training their horse to be mounted using the right foot, as captured in a photo.

Although she missed a year of high school, she attended the University of Wyoming for an associate degree in accounting. She was a proud member of Chi Omega sorority and became lifelong friends with her sorority sisters.

Marjorie came to San Francisco by train as a young single woman, starting her new life in “the city” and working in accounting. She greatly enjoyed the city scene of the 1950’s and early 60’s, seeing Phyllis Diller and the Smothers Brothers at the Purple Onion club. She shared an apartment near the Marina district, where at the time one could feast on Dungeness crab, sourdough bread and a bottle of wine for less than $10.

Marjorie later moved to a guesthouse in Pacific Heights. Her claim to fame was walking with other residents across the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito and back. She got her wish to sail under the bridge during a charter boat outing, where to the frustration of the real fishermen, she returned triumphant with a salmon almost as tall as she was.

Marjorie met her future husband Michael at the guesthouse. They married at St. Vincent de Paul church in San Francisco in 1963 and soon moved to Marin County, where they raised their two daughters and lived the remainder of their lives.

Marjorie was always game to try a new adventure, appreciated music and art, and was an expert baker and seamstress, learning to bake authentic Italian cookies for her in-laws and sewing her own stylish dresses. She loved to listen to pop music on the kitchen radio and was a lifelong fan of classic country music. She was active in her young daughters’ school events and then was energized to return to work at Fireman’s Fund Insurance first in San Francisco, then San Rafael. Marjorie participated in many conventions and travel for Michael’s work.

Marjorie and Michael moved to the Villa Marin retirement community, where she enjoyed meeting other residents at dinner and social events for a glass of chardonnay or a game of bingo, where she often returned with a prize.

Marjorie was preceded in death by her husband, Michael Alaimo; parents, Bernie and Jessie Blackstone; sisters, Helen Harke and Charlotte Mitich; and brothers, James and Charles Blackstone. She is survived by her daughters, Julie Alaimo and Vickie Alaimo Alexander; nieces and nephews; and longtime friends from college and in Marin. Our heartfelt thanks go to her outstanding caregivers and the staff at Villa Marin. A memorial celebration will be held at a later date.

Marjorie was a cheerful volunteer for more than 15 years at the Kaiser hospital reception desk in Terra Linda. She volunteered and fundraised for the St. Vincent School for Boys and the Hodgepodge thrift store benefitting Hospice By the Bay. She also supported the University of Wyoming and the Chi Omega Sorority.