The mother of a Porter resident, Marian Cutler, of Wilmette, Ill., known as the “Cookie Lady,” died Sept. 18, 2004 at the age of 78.

She was born March 21, 1926, In Manitowoc, Wis. the daughter of Orthodox Rabbi Bernard and Batchsheva Horovitz.

In 1951 she married Dr. Irving Cutler, who survives in Wilmette.

She is also survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Susie Cutler and Joab Silverglade of Porter; grandchildren Sam and Rahm Silverglade of Porter; son Daniel Cutler of Skokie, Ill; grandchildren, Carl and Lee Cutler; sisters, Freda (Sheldon) Robinson of Chicago and Sonia (Howard) Goldsmith of Netanya, Israel; a brother, Rabbi Moshe (Leah) Horovitz, of Jerusalem, Israel and sisters-in-law, Bella Joseph, Rose Pollack and Dorothy Yashon of Chicago.

The day before she died, Marian baked a big batch of chocolate chip cookies to be distributed to participants on a tour that her husband would be leading. She baked them as she had for years: one tray at a time, because she thought they came out better when she used only the upper shelf of the oven. She then packed up some vegetarian soup and matzo balls that she had cooked for her daughter’s family to take home for the holiday. There was nothing unusual about this - just Marian doing what she had done all her life, thinking of giving to others.

Marian, who had been ill with cancer and heart problems for the past five years, was known for her lifelong habit of putting the welfare of friends and family above her own concerns. She was a world traveler, a discerning editor of her husband’s books, including his best-selling “The Jews of Chicago: From Shtetl to Suburb,” a voracious reader, connoisseur of plays and acting and an interesting conversationalist who never lost her sense of humor even during five grueling years of chemotherapy and radiation treatments.

She moved to Chicago when she was 17 years old and worked in the buying department at Sears and was married in 1951.

Known as the “Cookie Lady,” Marian spread her own brand of good will through her delicious chocolate chip cookies baked for hundreds of ethnic and historic Chicago tours given by her husband. Tens of thousands of Chicagoans from all walks of life enjoyed her cookies. The Geographic Society of Chicago, presented her an award for the many cookies she had baked for the tours.

She traveled to six of the seven continents with her geographer husband. She went through one treatment after another, always remaining optimistic. She continued life as she had always lived it - an example to all who knew her.

Posted 9/29/2004