- Date Of Death: July 22, 2015
- State: Maine
Marilyn Mazza Faison
July 22, 2015
Portland, MAINE – Marilyn Mazza Faison of Peaks Island, Maine and New York City died on July 22, 2015, after a long illness. She was born in Des Moines, Iowa, the daughter of Joseph Mazza and Esther Chiesa Mazza. Marilyn graduated from Roosevelt High School in Des Moines and Rhode Island School of Design in Providence.
She began her career designing women’s and children’s clothing, then started her own design business, Mazza VonHelsdingen, in New York City. Her lifelong career as a shoe designer began at Viner Brothers Shoe Company in Bangor, Maine. Marilyn designed shoes for companies such as Bandolino and Mile High, in locations around the world, including Brazil, Italy, Spain and Taiwan. She spent the last twenty-plus years in China working for Mootsie’s Tootsies, where she served as head designer and played an integral role in the growth of the company.
She owned an antique store in Windham, Maine, The Ruby Slipper, with her husband, John Faison. Marilyn loved her work, the people with whom she worked, movies, the theatre, and shoes. She particularly loved her life on Peaks Island, Maine where she spent summers for over forty-five years.
She is survived by her husband John Faison, sister Joann Weston, brother John Mazza, sister-in-law Susan Faison, and several nieces and nephews.
