Marilyn Saks Schaftel
August 10, 1943 — August 31, 2026
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Obituary
Marilyn Saks Schaftel, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend, passed away peacefully on August 31, 2026, at the age of 83.
Marilyn was born in 1943 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to Robert and Ethel Saks. She grew up there alongside her brother, Gary Saks (Denise), and attended R.J. Reynolds High School. She later attended the University of Maryland, where she studied elementary education and was a proud member of Phi Sigma Sigma sorority.
It was during her junior year at Maryland, in 1964, that Marilyn met and married the love of her life, Robert “Bobby” Schaftel. The two would go on to build a life together centered on family and love. Shortly after their marriage, Marilyn began her career as an elementary school teacher in Baltimore.
Marilyn became an active and caring member of the Baltimore community, generously giving her time and energy to organizations and causes that mattered to her. She was involved with the Associated Jewish Charities, volunteered with the kindergarten education program at Sinai Hospital, and gave her time to her children’s schools, Park School and Gilman School. Curious, humble and always interested in learning, Marilyn was bright, beautiful and athletic. She was an avid tennis and golf player and even scored a hole in one.
Of all the roles Marilyn held throughout her life, however, none meant more to her than being a mother and raising her family.
She was a positive, loving, kind, and deeply empathetic mother. Her children knew they could count on her to be there for them, to listen, to encourage, and to love them unconditionally. Her warmth was felt by anyone that knew her.
Despite facing significant health struggles beginning at the young age of 39, Marilyn never allowed those challenges to define the way she loved her family. She continued to show up for her husband, her children, and the people who mattered to her.
Her warmth extended well beyond her immediate family, and she was adored by her many nieces and nephews.
Marilyn had a gentle nature and an extraordinary capacity for empathy. She wanted the people she loved to be happy and, perhaps more than anything, she wanted them to love one another. She sought harmony rather than attention, brought kindness rather than judgment, and was often the quiet force encouraging everyone around her to come together and keep the peace.
Marilyn was the devoted mother of Julie Schaftel Kirschner and her husband, David Kirschner, and Michael Schaftel and his wife, Margaret. She was the immensely proud grandmother of seven grandchildren: Sara, William, and Tommy Kirschner, and Anna, Mia, Ella, and Lila Schaftel. She is also survived by her beloved husband, Bobby, her brother Gary, and the many nieces, nephews, extended family members, and friends whose lives she touched.
Marilyn's life cannot be measured simply by the places she lived, the organizations she served, or the things she accomplished. Her greatest legacy is found in the family she nurtured and in the kindness, compassion and love she gave so freely to others.
She will be remembered as a woman who loved deeply, asked for little, and wanted nothing more than for the people she loved to be happy and to love one another. She leaves behind a family profoundly grateful to have been loved by her and a legacy of kindness that will live on through her children and grandchildren.
Services are private. Interment Baltimore Hebrew Congregation-Reisterstown, MD. Please omit flowers. Contributions in her memory may be sent to The Associated Jewish Charities of Baltimore. The family will be in mourning at 11 Slade Avenue, Pikesville, Maryland 21208, receiving in the Community Room, beginning at 4pm on Thursday.
Marilyn was born in 1943 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to Robert and Ethel Saks. She grew up there alongside her brother, Gary Saks (Denise), and attended R.J. Reynolds High School. She later attended the University of Maryland, where she studied elementary education and was a proud member of Phi Sigma Sigma sorority.
It was during her junior year at Maryland, in 1964, that Marilyn met and married the love of her life, Robert “Bobby” Schaftel. The two would go on to build a life together centered on family and love. Shortly after their marriage, Marilyn began her career as an elementary school teacher in Baltimore.
Marilyn became an active and caring member of the Baltimore community, generously giving her time and energy to organizations and causes that mattered to her. She was involved with the Associated Jewish Charities, volunteered with the kindergarten education program at Sinai Hospital, and gave her time to her children’s schools, Park School and Gilman School. Curious, humble and always interested in learning, Marilyn was bright, beautiful and athletic. She was an avid tennis and golf player and even scored a hole in one.
Of all the roles Marilyn held throughout her life, however, none meant more to her than being a mother and raising her family.
She was a positive, loving, kind, and deeply empathetic mother. Her children knew they could count on her to be there for them, to listen, to encourage, and to love them unconditionally. Her warmth was felt by anyone that knew her.
Despite facing significant health struggles beginning at the young age of 39, Marilyn never allowed those challenges to define the way she loved her family. She continued to show up for her husband, her children, and the people who mattered to her.
Her warmth extended well beyond her immediate family, and she was adored by her many nieces and nephews.
Marilyn had a gentle nature and an extraordinary capacity for empathy. She wanted the people she loved to be happy and, perhaps more than anything, she wanted them to love one another. She sought harmony rather than attention, brought kindness rather than judgment, and was often the quiet force encouraging everyone around her to come together and keep the peace.
Marilyn was the devoted mother of Julie Schaftel Kirschner and her husband, David Kirschner, and Michael Schaftel and his wife, Margaret. She was the immensely proud grandmother of seven grandchildren: Sara, William, and Tommy Kirschner, and Anna, Mia, Ella, and Lila Schaftel. She is also survived by her beloved husband, Bobby, her brother Gary, and the many nieces, nephews, extended family members, and friends whose lives she touched.
Marilyn's life cannot be measured simply by the places she lived, the organizations she served, or the things she accomplished. Her greatest legacy is found in the family she nurtured and in the kindness, compassion and love she gave so freely to others.
She will be remembered as a woman who loved deeply, asked for little, and wanted nothing more than for the people she loved to be happy and to love one another. She leaves behind a family profoundly grateful to have been loved by her and a legacy of kindness that will live on through her children and grandchildren.
Services are private. Interment Baltimore Hebrew Congregation-Reisterstown, MD. Please omit flowers. Contributions in her memory may be sent to The Associated Jewish Charities of Baltimore. The family will be in mourning at 11 Slade Avenue, Pikesville, Maryland 21208, receiving in the Community Room, beginning at 4pm on Thursday.
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