Marijane McEwan was a LLL Leader who worked primarily in the LLLI Office in Schaumburg, IL USA. She was the Director of Outreach Programs. Her department directed programs that responded to all requests for breastfeeding help and information. She managed 150 Peer Counselor Administrators, the 800 LA LECHE phone operators, and the after hours Hotline Leaders. She coordinated the Leader Specialty File, a list that was updated yearly with over 100 categories where LLL Leaders indicated their areas of expertise; and which was used as a resource when requests involved special circumstances. She also directed the Visually Impaired Resources. She worked with lay and professional communities worldwide by directing the establishment of Breastfeeding Resource Centers, numbering 450; and Peer Counselor Programs including 1500 Peer Counselors. She was a beloved LLLI Staff Member who had to sleep in her office on nights when Illinois USA blizzards made it impossible for her to drive home from the LLLI office in Schaumburg IL to her home in Hazel Crest, IL. She retired to North Port, FL USA where she cared for her husband Stewart until his death in 2012. Marijane was born on July 17, 1938 in Amsterdam, NY USA and passed away in her home in North Port, Florida on January 21, 2023. She is survived by her three sons, Stewart, Sean, and James, and grandchildren. Her son James lived in her Florida home with her, and cared for her in her last years. Marijane’s favorite color was purple. She was loved by so many in the LLL world, and is greatly missed.
Submitted by Katy Lebbing