Marjorie Rateau Lanza

Marjorie Rateau Lanza, 103, of West Chester (formerly of Gladwyne) , passed away peacefully on Sunday, January 5, 2025 where she resided at The Hickman. 

Born in Sydney, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, she was the daughter of the late Claude Aime and Lillian Pike Rateau.

She was the loving wife of the late Arnold A. Lanza; loving mother of Antony S. Lanza (Peg) of Ventura, CA/LaCruz, Mexico and Elisa L. Jaworski (Kurt) of West Chester; and her youngest sister, Dorothy Keays, of Eugene, Oregon. She was predeceased by her siblings, Claude Rateau, Madelaine Greene, Jacques Rateau, Clarence Rateau, Mary Frye and Edna Virene.  

After her family moved to Hamilton, Ontario when she was 25, Marjorie decided to apply for a job with UNRAA. This agency preceded the UN and was later merged into the UN upon it’s creation. Their mission was to restore and rehabilitate Europe after WWII. It was a collaborative effort initially between US, UK, Russia, Republic of China and eventually included 43 countries. She accepted the position which was based in Washington, DC in 1946. It was a bold move for a woman at the time to leave her home in Canada for a foreign land. It was her good fortune to meet Arnold Lanza who was from Philadelphia and was also in DC working on the war effort. His chemical engineering background brought him there by way of his expertise with shape charges and mustard gas which he’d worked on at various arsenals in MD until he was recruited to work in the Pentagon in 1945.

After a long courtship of 5 years, they married in 1951 and had a son in 1952. Marjorie had also worked for a couple of trade associations on their annual show and later a law firm as a secretary when Antony (Tony) was a boy. 7 1/2 years later she was blessed with a daughter, Elisa, and became a full-time homemaker. Such ‘homemaking’ in the 50's and 60's involved the development of talents quite apart from those of her earlier administrative work. This ‘domestic’ skill set included creating and tailoring some of her childrens' clothes. However, by marrying into the Lanza family, cooking, and, most importantly, learning to make the Lanza family Italian meals became her dedicated passion. She became a great cook and baker mastering the Abruzzo style meals as well as everything else she attempted. She later dabbled in some part-time work in the early 70's until breast cancer came calling in 1973 when she was 53. Following a radical mastectomy and 2 additional occurrences shortly thereafter, she had 26 radiation treatments at Bryn Mawr Hospital which apparently cured her. However, the age of 64, there was another cancer diagnosis which although caught at a very early stage still led to another mastectomy. This surgery would complete her battle with breast cancer, as there would be no more occurrences or really any other significant health threats over the next 40 years. 

In 1976, after moving to Gladwyne, Marjorie and Arnold became involved in a Newcomers Club and joined the Gourmet Club where she met her close friend, Ann Smith, who worked with her on many gourmet dinners for their group. They were a great team creating many delicious truly gourmet meals.

Along the way, Marjorie became a poet and has produced hundreds of intimate reflections. In terms of her art, it must be said that the cancer diagnosis changed the focus of her work. One can see it as a kind of catalyst for more introspective writing, an ongoing consideration of life and fate. In her later years, she continued writing as a pastime. Some of it was light-hearted about their husky, Charlie, nature and life in general. After Arnold passed in 2001, she delved into her emotions and wrote about the loss of her beloved husband.

Upon Arnold’s passing, she often spent time with her sister, Mary Frye, near Silver Spring, MD. They were always very close, since the other 6 siblings had followed her Dad to California in the 50’s. She loved going to Mary’s and spending time talking about family, friends, and those distant memories of their youth in Sydney, Nova Scotia and their time in the “Girl Guides” – Canada’s equivalent of our Girl Scouts in the US. There were many shopping trips as well and outings with Mary’s sorority sisters. 

She also spent much time on her poetry and even became somewhat active with a poet society group which inspired her to hone her craft. 

In 2018, she moved to The Hickman in West Chester in the new Jeannes Building at the time. The staff there loved her as she was typically cooperative though she remained independent – walking to lunch and dinner daily at nearly 104. 

She will be missed by her daughter and son, sister, Dorothy, in Oregon and extended family of nieces and nephews. 

There will be a Celebration of Life at Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd, PA in the Spring to enable family members from afar to be there more readily. Date and time will be posted on social media in the coming weeks.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are requested to the Susan G. Komen Foundation, https://www.komen.org or to the Alzheimer's Association, https://www.alz.org/donate