Marilyn “Lynn” Heidelberger MacEwen, cherished wife of Dr. G. Dean MacEwen, passed away peacefully at age 93 on August 18, 2024, just 12 days after her beloved husband of 70 years.
Born January 1, 1931, and raised in Seaford, New York, Lynn graduated from Cornell University with a degree in home economics in 1952 and remained an active alumna of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority throughout her life. In 1953, she graduated from Columbia University with a degree in occupational therapy. She went to work in Washington, DC, where she met the love of her life on a blind date.
The two were married in 1954. After a two-year stop in Memphis, Tennessee, while Dean was a resident in orthopaedic surgery, they settled in Wilmington, Delaware, where they raised their family. Lynn was an avid volunteer, providing vision screenings for young children at Heads Up, volunteering as a guide at Winterthur, and serving on various committees at Concord Presbyterian Church.
Together, Lynn and Dean loved international travel, antiquing, and spending time at their vacation home at Lake Naomi, Pennsylvania. In 1986, the two moved to New Orleans, Louisiana, where she enjoyed her work as a volunteer guide in the French Quarter. They retired to historic New Castle, Delaware, in 1992, where they were active members of New Castle Presbyterian Church. In 2019, they moved to Stonegates Retirement Community. Lynn will be dearly missed by their five children, Kathy, Jane, Nancy, David, and John; nine grandchildren, Katherine, Sarah, Charlie, David, Brennan, Melissa, Doug, Harrison, and Heather; and nine great- grandchildren, who all lovingly called her Honey; Lynn’s brother Walter, and countless lifelong friends.
A joint memorial service for Lynn and Dean will be held at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1502 W. 13th St., Wilmington, DE 19806, at 11:00 a.m. on October 19. All are welcome and invited to a reception following the service.
The family has requested that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Dr. G. Dean and Mrs. Marilyn MacEwen Educational Fund at Nemours Children’s Health, created by the family to continue Dr. MacEwen’s legacy for educating future generations of leaders in pediatric orthopedic surgery nationally and worldwide. Gifts may be made online at www.nemours.org/macewen or by check mailed to Nemours Children’s Health Alliance, Shands House, 1600 Rockland Road, Wilmington, DE, 19803.
