Over 50 years ago, Marilynn and John Hess built the shell of a chalet on the shores of Indian Creek. John undertook to finish all of the interior woodwork himself, which resulted in a stunning configuration of angles and verticals. At the time, John recently had been appointed to the bench of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia and the chalet was a weekend getaway for Marilynn, John and their daughter, Karrie.
In 1983, the Hesses moved to the Northern Neck when he assumed Senior Status on the Court, although he continued to try cases for many years thereafter. To prepare for full-time living here, they engaged Cres Saunders to build a Wakefield Colonial-style home, also on Indian Creek.
The home was an auspicious undertaking, which they thrived on carrying out. Marilynn personally hand-sanded every piece of the woodwork, which was extensive, and selected all of the complementary colors for the walls and trim. She wanted the correct setting for their collection of period American antiques. The setting and the pieces came together to provide a spectacular ambience.
After the home was finished, Marilynn worked with Franklin Fisher to design and construct a beautiful circular fountain in a patio that was visible from several rooms in the house. For his part, John set out to build a garden house in the style of the 18th century. The fountain and the garden house exemplified their constant efforts to augment the property with wonderful embellishments that characterized their joint search to have the right piece in the right place.
Marilynn had been born and grew up an only child in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. She went through local schools, where one of her classmates was the celebrated Russian historian, James H. Billington, who wrote The Icon and the Axe, and who later became the Librarian of Congress. I had met Professor Billington on two occasions at which I told him of my friendship with Marilynn, to which he replied each time, “She was the smartest student in our class.”
When they graduated, Marilynn was class valedictorian and James Billington was salutatorian. Whenever his name arose in conversation, I enjoyed telling Marilynn, that inasmuch as she had been valedictorian and he had been salutatorian, she could have been the Librarian of Congress.
Each year, Marilynn and John designed their own printed Christmas card, which would have a theme of historical interest enhanced by her beautiful calligraphy, on the back of which was their logo, “Hessmark Cards.” Often the theme was tied in with facets of local history such as the Holly Ball.
Marilynn was a prodigious volunteer across the Northern Neck community. She spent many years as a docent at Historic Christ Church, where she had mastered the lore and tradition that she in turn could pass on to visitors. When she took on a project, she read everything available on the subject to become completely at home in describing it to others. She also enjoyed her volunteer work at Rappahannock General Hospital where her smiling and happy countenance could uplift individuals facing health concerns.
Last month, Marilynn died at the age of 96, a year-and-a-half after John, who also lived to the same age. She used her years to apply her many remarkable talents to helping others, to enhancing the world around her and to giving back the many rewards that she had received in life. She did it all in a spirit of genuinely profound joy that was obvious to everyone she met.
Marilynn Eby Hess, November 10, 1928–July 26, 2025. R.I.P.
