Marilyn Doolittle Vacendak

A Mass of Christian Burial for Marilyn Doolittle Vacendak will be celebrated at 12:00 p.m. on Friday, August 7, 2026 at St. John Neumann Catholic Church, 721 Polo Road, Columbia, South Carolina. Father Sandy McDonald will celebrate the Mass. Memorial contributions may be made to the Homeward Bound Animal Rescue: https://www.homewardboundrescuesc.com/.

Marilyn passed away peacefully on Monday, July 20, 2026. Born in Detroit, Michigan, she was the daughter of the late Homer Doolittle and Donna Beaudoin Doolittle Rayner.

Marilyn devoted her life to education and service. She worked as a teacher in both public and private education, where she inspired generations of students with her kindness, encouragement, and genuine love of learning. She later served as an activities director in a nursing home, bringing joy, companionship, and purpose to the residents in her care.

In her early twenties, Marilyn traveled to Europe, where a chance meeting after an Edith Piaf concert introduced her to the love of her life, Major William "Bill" Vacendak, a United States Air Force pilot and veteran of the Korean War and Vietnam War. They married soon afterward and built a life together while raising their daughter, Susan, throughout Bill's Air Force career.

Marilyn embraced every adventure life offered. Marilyn and Bill purchased and lived on a small farm on the Stones River during his military service in Tennessee, she learned to ride a motorcycle in her forties, and later traveled the Mississippi River, Great Lakes, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, and Intracoastal Waterway by boat with her husband. When she turned 80 her daughter took her on an especially treasured, month-long trip through Alaska, fulfilling a lifelong dream.

After Bill's passing, Marilyn moved to Columbia to be near her family. A devoted member of St. John Neumann Catholic Church, she sang in the choir and faithfully brought Holy Communion to those who were hospitalized or homebound.

Marilyn will be remembered for her unwavering faith, her gift for storytelling, her infectious sense of humor, and her ability to laugh at herself. She never met a stranger and had a remarkable way of making everyone feel welcome. She loved her family fiercely, cherished her pets, and found joy in every new adventure.

She leaves a legacy carried forward by those who loved her: her daughter, Susan Vacendak Benesh of West Columbia; and her grandchildren, John Benesh of Columbia, Connie Benesh-Blaskis (Bill) of Roanoke, Virginia, and Barbara Benesh of Norfolk, Virginia.

Her family finds comfort knowing she is reunited with those she loved and rests peacefully in the presence of the Lord.

Kornegay Funeral Home, Camden Chapel, is in charge of arrangements.

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