Maryanne Miller Deresinski

While in high school, Maryanne was a member of the Honor Society and played the alto saxophone in the marching band as well as in the dance band. To pay her way in college, she worked evenings and weekends at a grocery store. She married Stan during semester break of their junior year, then had 2 children, David and Elizabeth, who were born one year apart while she was still completing her degree in nursing. It is believed that she was the first student nurse at Loyola University to ever accomplish this!

Her professional career was remarkable.  Fulfilling the requirements of her Illinois state college scholarship, she first worked for 2 years at the Chicago State Hospital at Dunning (originally known as the Cook County Poor Farm or the Dunning Poorhouse and Insane Asylum) where she cared for approximately 90 patients each day.  Shortly after working in the Emergency Department at Rush Presbyterian St. Luke’s Hospital in Chicago, she moved with her husband and children to California. 

In California, she first worked at the Stanford University inpatient psychiatric unit.  Then, for the next 3 decades, until her retirement in 2008, she worked as an outpatient psychiatric nurse for San Mateo County where she cared for seriously mentally ill patients at the South County Mental Health Center. Her work extended beyond the clinic – she was a member of the San Mateo County Community Response Team.

She served as a representative of the California Nurses Association and participated in successful demonstrations against actions and statements of the state governor.  She also participated in actions against the war in Viet Nam.

While working and raising her children, Maryanne assisted her husband in his professional work.  She helped create the AIDS Clinical Research Consortium (ACRC) which did pioneering work in dealing with the epidemic and was a founding Board Member of the organization. Despite all these activities, she was able to travel widely.  Here destinations included Italy, France, the USSR, England, Scotland, Germany, Japan, Thailand, Myanmar, Bali, Brazil, and Panama

Maryanne was preceded in death by her parents as well as two brothers and two sisters.  She is survived by her husband of 61 years Stan Deresinski, and her children, David and Elizabeth Deresinski, as well as by her brother, Jerry Miller, and her sister, Paula Miller.

Maryanne was respected and loved by all who got to know her, including some who had first encountered her at the New Years brunches attended by a wide range of neighbors, friends and colleagues each year.  Upon her death, a friend wrote: “Maryanne was a kind thoughtful and caring person.  I vividly remember her kind and reassuring words years ago when I had worrisome health concerns.  She just was a truly nice friend.”

Another wrote: “Maryanne was a true delight.  Funny, charming, with great stories ...  She was also a great hostess and [my husband] and I loved coming to your home for gourmet club. I just wanted you to know how much she was loved by all of us…” 

Maryanne loved - and is loved.