Obituary of Marion Sondermann

Marion Sondermann passed away on April 8, 2023 at the age of 95. She was predeceased by her husband, Fred Sondermann in 1978.

She is survived by her three children, Eric Sondermann (Tracy Dunning) of Denver and Tabernash, Gary Sondermann (partner Julie Foster) of Colorado Springs, and Judy Sondermann also of Colorado Springs. She also leaves behind four grandchildren, Katrina (partner Bryan), Dylan (Cassie), Graham (partner Sophie) and Clarke (partner Mark).

Marion was born on October 30, 1927 in Nuremberg, Germany to Fritz and Betty Obermeyer. After a childhood spent in increasingly challenging conditions in Nuremberg and Berlin, Marion along with her parents and brother emigrated to the United States in March of 1939 as Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany. Five months after landing in New York City, the family resettled to Indianapolis where Marion attended public schools through high school.

In 1950, she married Fred Sondermann, also a German-Jewish refugee then living in Indianapolis. While Fred, a veteran of World War II, attended college and graduated school under the GI Bill, they spent their early years of marriage in New Haven, Connecticut. In 1953, with Fred having received his Ph.D. from Yale University and being hired by Colorado College to teach political science, they moved to Colorado Springs. Marion continued to live in the Springs until her death.

While raising her children, Marion completed her B.A. degree at Colorado College with a major in psychology. In 1980, she received her master’s degree in public administration from the University of Colorado – Colorado Springs.

After graduating from Colorado College, Marion worked for many years at the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind. Later, with her master’s degree in hand, she began a career in academia. For the next 26 years, she taught political science at UCCS and for some period also at Pikes Peak Community College.

Marion was long active in the Colorado Springs community. In 1971, she was elected to a six-year term on the School District 11 Board of Education. She ran as a candidate for the Colorado House of Representatives in 1980.

During that decade, she served as a volunteer arbitrator for the local Better Business Bureau and on the board of the Colorado Springs World Affairs Council. In 1991, she was appointed by City Council to a post on the Charter Review Commission. In later years, she served on the boards of the Center for Christian-Jewish Dialogue and of Parents Challenge.

A funeral service for Marion will be held on Thursday, April 13, at 1:30 p.m. at Temple Beit Torah, 522 East Madison Street in Colorado Springs, Colorado. This will be immediately followed by interment beside her husband at the Shrine of Remembrance, 1730 East Fountain Boulevard. Friends are also invited to gather informally at 5:30 p.m. for conversation and memories at the home of daughter Judy Sondermann.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are encouraged to Bright Focus Foundation for Macular Degeneration (brightfocus.org/macular); Parents Challenge (parentschallenge.org); or Temple Beit Torah (beit-torah.org). 

Bless you, mom, grandma and friend, for the life you led and the difference you made.