Obituary of Marie Rolleri Ziegra

Marie Rolleri Ziegra of Aiken, SC passed away peacefully on November 29, 2022. She was 99. Marie was born September 6, 1923 in Bridgeport, CT to Jenny and Joe Rolleri. She was predeceased by her husband of 67 years, Sumner (Tige) R. Ziegra, M.D., her son, Sumner R. Ziegra, Jr. and her sisters, Pauline Steinhardt of Boyton Beach, FL, and Dorothy Fletcher of Shelton, CT. She is survived by her sister, Arlene Phillips of Beaver Creek, Ohio, her daughter, Cynthia Ziegra, V.M.D., PhD and her spouse, Betsy Uberti of Aiken, SC., and several nieces and nephews, grand nieces, and grand nephews. She was one of a kind and cherished by so many and had a generous spirit and a colorful personality. Her zest for life was infectious and never ceased. She was a talented cook and prepared delicious meals for family and friends. She was a graduate of the University of Vermont class of 1945 where she majored in Latin and Ancient Greek and met her husband. During her summer breaks from college she was employed at the Sikorsky airplane plant in Bridgeport, CT as a “Rosie the Riveter” of Corsair Airplanes and was very proud to have contributed to the nation’s WWII effort. Before becoming a mother, Marie was a grammar school teacher in Baltimore, MD and Essex, CT. As an accomplished seamstress she started a girls clothing store, Her Royal Highness, in Haverford and then Ardmore, PA, after her children grew up. While living in Gladwyne and Malvern PA, Marie gave of her time generously as a Girl Scout leader for 15 years and was instrumental in raising money for the University of Vermont and numerous hospitals. She retired to Ivoryton, CT where she spent a very pleasurable time redoing the Fountain Hill Cemetery with her husband. While there, they brought Fountain Hill into the modern computer age by digitalizing the data of all the interred. She enjoyed being a docent at the Deep River CT Historical Museum. Her former employees and friends considered her a woman of great intelligence and generosity. She will be dearly missed. Visitation will be held on Thursday, December 8, 2022 from 9:30AM to 10:30AM at the Robinson, Wright & Weymer Funeral Home, 34 Main Street in Centerbrook, CT. A Funeral Mass will follow at Saint Joseph Church, 48 Middlesex Avenue in Chester, CT. Interment on the Ziegra Family Lot will follow in the Fountain Hill Cemetery in Deep River, CT. Contributions may be given to Operation Smile 3641 Faculty Boulevard, Virginia Beach, VA 23453. To share a memory of Marie, or to leave a condolence for her family, please visit www.rwwfh.com. Arrangements by the Robinson, Wright & Weymer Funeral Home in Centerbrook.