Mariana 'Nan' Brown Rudolph

Mariana 'Nan' Rudolph

Mariana "Nan" Frances Brown Rudolph was a longtime Upper Peninsula resident who worked toward improving social services and education in the area. She served 16 years on the Mackinac Island State Park Commission and chaired the Mackinac County Social Services Board and the state Social Services Board. Mrs. Rudolph died at the age of 89 Sunday, February 4, 2007. She was a resident of St. Ignace and Harlingen, Texas.

She was the eldest child of Michigan Senator Prentiss Marsh Brown and Marion (nee Walker) Brown of St. Ignace. Born in St. Ignace, she attended local schools and was graduated from LaSalle High School. When Congress was in session, she accompanied her family to Washington, D.C., where she also attended high school.

She met her future husband, Hugh Rudolph, while attending Albion College, and they were married in 1937.

The couple moved to Washington, D.C., where their only child, Marsha "Penny" Prentiss Rudolph Adams, was born. Later, they moved to Detroit and Chicago. Eventually, the couple returned to Mackinac County and settled on Mackinac Island, where they lived for more than 30 years while Mr. Rudolph helped operate Arnold Transit Company and Union Terminal Piers.

Mrs. Rudolph possessed a deep love for the Upper Peninsula, and she was an active member of her community. She served on the Mackinac Island State Park Commission from 1957 to 1973, the Mackinac Island School Board, and the vestry of Trinity Episcopal Church, where she played the organ.

She was also a member of the Mackinac County Social Services Board, which she chaired for several years. Serving on the Mackinac County Social Services Board led to a position on the Social Services Board for the State of Michigan, where she also became chairperson.

An avid reader, Mrs. Rudolph was particularly interested in history, biography, and art. Family and friends considered her a stylish woman who captured the imagination and admiration of others with her zest for life. She was known as a gracious hostess who entertained with flair. Family members say she genuinely embraced the people she met. Mrs. Rudolph was also a talented artist and had a passion for golf.

She is survived by her daughter, Marsha Adams of Calabasas, California; two grandchildren, John Hugh Adams of Seattle, Washington, and Stephanie Elizabeth Adams of Los Angeles, California; one greatgranddaughter, Allison Clare Adams; six siblings and their families, Ruth and Forest Evashevski of Petoskey, James J. and Sis Brown of St. Ignace, Barbara and D. Bruce Laing of Dowagiac, Patricia Watson of Ottawa, Canada, Peg and Prentiss "Moie" Brown Jr. of St. Ignace, and Paul W. and L. Margaret "Meg" Brown of Mackinac Island. She is also survived by nieces, nephews, grand-nieces, and grandnephews.

She was preceded in death by her brother-in-law, Dr. A.G. Watson, and by her husband of more than 50 years, who died in 2003.

Services will be held this summer at St. Ignace United Methodist Church. Burial will be at the Mackinac Island (Protestant) Cemetery on Mackinac Island.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be directed to the St. Ignace Public Library or the Mackinac Island Public Library.

Dodson Funeral Home assisted the family with arrangements.