Marjorie R. Willis

Service : Friday, May 29th at 12:15 pm
Service Location: Shalom Chapel Service
Shalom Memorial Funeral Home
1700 West Rand Road
Arlington Heights, IL 60004

Interment:
Shalom Memorial Park
1700 W. Rand Road
Arlington Heights

Shiva Information

Information will be provided at service

Contributions
A charity of your choice
or
Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity
733 3rd Avenue, Floor 16
New York, New York 10017
212-490-7788
https://eliewieselfoundation.org/donate/

Marjorie R. Willis, 76 (“Margie”), born in Chicago, Illinois February 17, 1951, passed away after a courageous fight to overcome an insurmountable battle to recover from sepsis on Wednesday May 20, 2026 with her husband Steve Willis holding her hand and kissing her forehead.

She was the cherished daughter of the late Dr. Morris William (Bill) and late Gloria Rubenstein. She is survived by an older sister Elizabeth Epstein, and younger brother Neal Rubenstein. She was the beloved wife of Steve Willis. She was an Aunt to Max (Danielle) Epstein, Jared Willis, Sari Willis, Ethan Willis and Naomi Willis, as well as an Aunt to Sarah Jane Baker, James Rubenstein and Bruce (Denise) Zaccanti. Finally, Margie was a grandmother to Daniel Ethan Willis (10 months)- Ethan David Willis’s son and daughter-in-law to Dr. Isabella Zuim Willis.

Mrs. Willis was raised in Chicago and Evanston, Illinois. She graduated from Evanston Township High School in 1969, attended Briarcliff College and graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan in 1972. She was a bilingual teacher in the Chicago Public Schools System specializing in Spanish with a concentration in teaching 3rd and 4th graders.

People described Margie as bright, sweet, kind and affable with an outgoing personality. She loved her time attending Briarcliff College, a women’s college in Briarcliff Manor, and visiting New York on the weekends. Because Margie is slight, the co-eds loved to pass her up the stadium steps in celebration of a Michigan touchdown.

Margie’s smile was contagious. She was healthy and vibrant. It was not her time.

After she retired from teaching, she found her true calling by spending significant time learning how to manage her securities portfolio and trading stocks successfully. Finally, she studied Jewish history during the time of the Holocaust.

Anyone interested in making a donation should consider donating to the charity of their choice or the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity, 733 3rd Avenue, Floor 16, New York, NY 10017, 212-490-7788, info@eliewieselfoundation.org.

Chapel service Friday, May 29, 12:15 PM at Shalom Memorial Funeral Home, 1700 W. Rand Road, Arlington Heights. Interment to follow at Shalom Memorial Park. For a link to view the service, shiva information, and to leave condolences: www.shalommemorial.org, 847-255-3520.