Obituary of Marianne Wilkes Drake

Marianne Wilkes Drake, 66, of Holmdel died at Bayshore Community Hospital on Nov. 21, 2015, after a courageous battle with cancer. Marianne was born in Brooklyn, NY Aug. 19, 1949 to Matthew and Catherine (Kraft) Wilkes. She moved with her family to central N.J. in 1954. Marianne graduated from Matawan H.S. in 1967 and Douglass College in 1971. She was in the process of completing her Master’s degree At Rutgers University. She married her high school sweetheart Dennis Drake in Oct., 1971. They spent 5 years in Los Angeles, Calif. in the 1970’s, before moving back to N.J. Marianne was a happy, optimistic, and vivacious person who had many friends. She worked as an editorial assistant for Vogue magazine after graduating from college. She worked in the retail business at Macy’s, as a manager, then a buyer. Marianne was a dedicated employee at Brookdale Community College for the past 15 years, working in the media department. Marianne enjoyed cooking and baking, gardening and quilting. She was a member of Molly Pitcher Stiches and the RFD Garden Club. Marianne was predeceased by her parents Matthew and Catherine Wilkes and her father-in-law Michael and mother-in-law Mary Druzbik. She is survived by her beloved husband of 44 years Dennis and her son Michael, her pride and joy. She is also survived by her sister Cathy Wilkes McKee and husband Jack McKee and her brother Matt Wilkes and wife Jackie Goodrich. She is also survived by her sisters-in-law Dorothy Lopapa, Deanna DiDomenico and Deborah Drake, who were like sisters to her, and brother-in-law Darrin Druzbik, as well as many nieces and nephews and her cat Misty. Marianne will be greatly missed by all who knew her. Brookdale faculty and staff are invited to honor the memory of our colleague and friend Marianne Drake by funding a memorial scholarship through the Brookdale Community College Foundation. We encourage you to "give from the heart" and make a contribution that is significant to you. It’s a great way to pay tribute to Marianne! The scholarship will be offered to students by application and awarded to a deserving student(s) at Brookdale Community College who is actively involved in Governance, has solid academic performance and has financial need. A scholarship selection committee will review the applications and select the recipient(s). We hope you will join us in supporting this scholarship in Marianne’s memory. Contributions to the Marianne Drake Memorial Scholarship Fund can be sent to: Brookdale Community College Foundation 765 Newman Springs Road Lincroft, NJ 07738 Attn: Marianne Drake Scholarship Please make checks payable to Brookdale Community College Foundation. (Write "Marianne Drake Scholarship" on the memo line)