Marianna Hedlund Didricksen

Marianna Hedlund Didricksen died November 25, 2009 at home in Hamden, CT after living with multiple myeloma with resolve and courage for six years. She was born on February 13, 1935 in Bryn Mawr, PA. The beloved wife of James B. Didricksen for 43 years, they were married on June 25, 1966. The daughter of Gustav Arnold Hedlund and Frances Hutcheson Hedlund of New Haven, CT, she attended Hillhouse High School. A student at the Yale School of Music in piano performance, she graduated from Quinnipiac College in 1957. Marianna was an accomplished pianist and lover of both classical and popular music. She inspired her husband, Jim, in his musical pursuits for many years in the Hamden Symphony where she performed on piano in May, 1974. She had a lengthy career in the business office at Grand Light in New Haven. Marianna loved her vacations in Rockport, MA, Sebasco Lodge, ME and Pauley's Island, SC where she went annually with her husband's large extended family. Besides her husband, Jim, she is survived by her brother, Gustav W. Hedlund of Darien, CT and his family, in addition to many nieces and nephews. An active member of Center Church on the Green in New Haven where she made her vows to her husband and attended all her life, the family requests that memorial contributions be made, in lieu of flowers, to further their music outreach programs in the community, designated accordingly. A service will be held to honor her life on Saturday, December 19, at 2:00 p.m. at the Center Church on the Green. A reception will be held immediately following the ceremony at The Graduate Club in New Haven.