DARWIN WAYNE MARA, 97, passed away on July 3, 2014 in
Dallas, TX, with interment at Restland Memorial Park in
Dallas.
He was born Oct. 2, 1916 in Chicago, Illinois to Frank
Francis Mara & Mary Pecha. Darwin had a passion for music
from the age of 10 playing the saxophone. He also played the
clarinet in the marching band at Crane Tech High School. He
played saxophone as a professional musician in dance bands
in the 1930s.
He began a 40 year career at Western Electric in 1941 at the
Hawthorn Works in Chicago. He worked his way from a position
as a wireman to a section chief in the quality assurance
department. He was transferred to the Columbus, OH facility
in 1957 to set up the quality assurance program and became
the department chief of QA three years later. In 1969 he
was asked to transfer to the newly created Dallas plant to
help set up the QA program there. He retired from AT&T, the
successor to Western Electric, in 1981.
Darwin was an ardent admirer of Abraham Lincoln and Marilyn
Monroe. He was fond of saying that he was not sure whether
there were any descendants of Marilyn Monroe to be contacted,
but that any descendants of Abraham Lincoln could be reached
at his Gettysburg Address.
He was preceded in death by Bernice Maranee Malek, his wife
of 54 years, and by Rollo A. Mara, his older brother.
At the time of his death, Darwin was survived by his four
children and his younger brother, Warren F. Mara. His four
children and their spouses are: Arlene Alexander & husband,
Dan; Phyllis Eschleman and husband, Mike; Glenn Mara & wife,
Beth; and Nancy Faerber and husband, Chuck.
He is also survived by 13 grandchildren and their spouses
and 15 great grandchildren: Danny and Lisa Alexander, and
sons, Neil and Conrad; Paul and Rachel (Blistein) Alexander,
and daughters Kyla and Maya; Tom Eschleman; Karen & Charles
Smith; David and Shelley Eschleman, son, Brayden, & daughter
Evielynne; Kristen and Tom Nolan, and sons, Morgan and Micah
Darwin; Kevin Eschleman; Nathan and Tara Mara, and children,
Keller, Joshua, Kathryn, and Jason; Andy and Chloe Mara, and
daughters, Cadence and Madeline; Kathryn Mara; Nick & Taylor
Faerber, and son, Brody; Michael Faerber; and Kelly Faerber.