Van Ryne, Marian Vaeth
Marian Claire (Vaeth) Van Ryne, born January 19, 1932, passed away on March 19, 2023. Marian was preceded in death by her husband of 40 years, Gerald E. Van Ryne (Jerry) and her mother and father, Frank and Mary Vaeth and brother Robert Vaeth.
She and her husband both served their country faithfully and were retired from the CIA.
Marian is survived by her daughter, Donna V. Gresh and Son-in-law, Donald A. Gresh, Jr of Blacksburg, VA.; a son Mark Van Ryne and daughter-in-law, Therese Van Ryne of Barrington, IL.; Grandchildren Erika Gresh, Danielle Gresh (Ellie), Donald A. Gresh, III (Trey), Emily Gresh, Alexis Van Ryne, Jared Van Ryne, MacKensi Van Ryne, and a great grandson, Donald A. Gresh, IV (Drew).
Marian was born and raised in Baltimore, MD and graduated from Strayer business college. Marian joined the Foreign Service, and her first assignment was in Bangkok, Thailand. She traveled the world including, Vientiane, Burma, Singapore, and Malaysia. She was later
assigned to Kampala, Uganda and later to Ethiopia where she worked for Undersecretary of State, G. Mennen Williams.
During her travels, she met her eventual husband, Jerry, at a casual Embassy party in the United States. While Jerry was stationed in Kigali, Rwanda, and Marian was in Nairobi, Kenya, he proposed to Marian and they married in Nairobi. They were later reassigned to Miami Florida where their son, Mark, was born. Jerry was then assigned to Blantyre, Malawi, where Marian would eventually give birth to a daughter, Donna. In 1970, they were temporarily assigned to the Washington DC office, and they purchased a house in Annandale, VA. Jerry was then sent to Katmandu, Nepal as Chief of Station. They later returned to Washington, DC and resided in Annandale, VA for the rest of their careers. Jerry passed away in 2006, and subsequently, Marian relocated to Christiansburg, VA to be closer to family.
The family would like to give special thanks to the angels of Medi Hospice. Their compassion and kindness were invaluable.
A mass will be held at St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Annandale, VA on Friday April 14, 2023, at 10:00 AM. Burial will occur immediately thereafter at Fairfax Memorial Cemetery at 11:30 AM.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Medi Hospice, 141 East Main Street, Suite 500, Pulaski, VA 24301.