Marianne Lombardi
Marianne Lombardi passed away peacefully at Danbury Regional Hospice on February 25, 2023 at the age of 75 after a brief illness.
Daughter of the late Jeremiah F. Lombardi Jr. and Anne M. Lombardi, Marianne was born on January 28, 1948, and lived the early years of her life in Danbury, Connecticut. Marianne graduated from the University of Connecticut on June 1, 1970, with a B.A. degree, majoring in Sociology with a minor in Psychology. One of her first professional positions was in Danbury, working for the Community Action Agency of Western CT. Marianne had strong views about social justice for people of all races and creeds, and tried her best to provide resources and services to help her clients improve their lives in the local community.
In 1981, Marianne made a major career shift transitioning from social work into the area of finance where she remained, working for various employers, until the end of her career and retirement. Interestingly, her father had a Finance and Business degree from Duke University
but Marianne, without formal education in this field, clearly had an affinity for working with numbers and she found it rewarding. Over time, she developed very strong skills in managing company budgets, books, and accounts payable in addition to other office personnel systems. This was the beginning of Marianne’s migration to other states including Boston, Massachusetts and Denver, Colorado to work in finance positions.
In 1988, Marianne was hired by the Walt Disney World Corporation in Orlando, Florida where she worked for over 12 years, the longest stretch of her career. For the last six years of her Disney career, she was promoted to Accounting Associate where she was responsible for Financial Reporting & Capital Analysis reports for Disney Management. While the work involved meeting deadlines, accuracy and pressure, Marianne really loved being a “Disney Cast Member” as they were called. For many years, she would earn and save park passes, allowing visiting family members to avoid exorbitant park admissions fees. Alternatively, if passes were unavailable, she would personally “sign family into the park” for free.
After her mom passed away in 1998, she cherished the annual visits by her father driving down from North Carolina to visit and stay with her for a week in Florida. Together they would go out to eat and enjoy concerts and arts activities. Marianne also loved to shop for unique and special gifts for family members and friends and, of course, she always loved getting a bargain. She especially enjoyed meandering through craft fairs and cherished purchasing artisan created works for herself and others. Marianne always had a great love of the ocean as being near it always lifted her spirits. She enjoyed many years of vacations and visits to the Lombardi Family vacation home by the sea in Emerald Isle, North Carolina. Since this was an area so close to her heart, she also resided there for several of her retirement years prior to returning to live in Connecticut.
Marianne is survived by her sister, Joan Bybee of Danbury; her brother Robert Lombardi and his wife, Carrie, of Newington; and her two nieces and nephew, Monica Lombardi and Jacqueline Lombardi of Connecticut and Stephen Lombardi and his wife, Sheriden, of Maryland.
A private memorial service will be held at Green Funeral Home followed immediately by interment at St. Peter Cemetery, Lake Avenue Extension, Danbury.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Danbury Regional Hospice, 30 Milestone Road, Danbury, CT 06810.