Mara Beth Hyatt's Obituary
Mara Beth Hyatt, 40, died at her home in Columbus, Ohio, on September 6, 2022.
She was born to Dorothy and Glenn Hyatt on January 11, 1982 in the family home in Glenview, Illinois. She grew up in Wilmington, Delaware and went to public schools there. To her family and many close friends, she was known for her kindhearted and quirky personality, her wonderfully absurd sense of humor, and boundless creativity.
She attended the Academy of the New Church high school in Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania for two years as a boarding student, graduating in the class of 2000. Throughout high school, she excelled in art, theater, and music, and could often be found somewhere on campus strumming her guitar.
She later attended Delaware Technical and Community College to continue her education, earning the Governor Ruth Ann Minner Biotechnology Scholarship in 2009 and graduating summa cum laude with Associate’s Degrees in biological sciences and chemistry technology. As an undergraduate student, she collected bats in the field to study viruses they were infected with, and co-authored a paper, “Ribonucleotide reductases reveal novel viral diversity and predict biological and ecological features of unknown marine viruses,” which was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. She earned membership to the Phi Theta Kappa honor society and the Mu Alpha Theta math honor society.
She had a great mind for figuring out how things worked and a commitment to perfection, which she put to good use at the Delaware Theater Company, where she was an Assistant Stage Manager; for Maine State Theater, where she was a props apprentice for two summers; and as a carpenter’s assistant in Glenview. She also worked as a house painter. At the time of her death, she was employed as a machine operator for Taylor Communications.
She was a graceful and powerful dancer, with West Coast Swing being her favorite. She enjoyed running, biking, and walking. She had a beautiful singing voice and in her younger years was an avid photographer. She was talented at every visual art she tried, was a great sewer and embroiderer, and a relentless solver of word puzzles.
In her later years, she was a passionate advocate for social causes, and used her free hours to help others in any way she could think of. She studied labor organizing and participated in International Workers of the World meetings. She traveled from her home in Columbus back to Bryn Athyn to protest for the acceptance of LGBTQ people within the New Church. She devoted her personal time and resources to helping people experiencing homelessness in her community in Columbus. Earlier in her life, she was a frequent donor at the Delmarva Blood Bank.
She is survived by her parents, Dorothy Hyatt of Wilmington, Delaware, and Glenn Hyatt, of Charlotte, North Carolina; her brothers, Diccon Hyatt of Marlton, New Jersey, and Kellen Hyatt, of Wilmington, Delaware; her niece, Katherine Hyatt of Marlton, New Jersey; numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins; and many dear friends.
A celebration of life will be held Saturday, September 24 at 11 a.m. at Executive Banquet and Conference Center at 205 Executive Boulevard in Newark, Delaware. The event will be live-streamed for those unable to attend in person. Final arrangements are being carried out by Buckeye Cremation by Schoedinger in Dublin, Ohio.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in her name to Star House (www.starhouse.us) or Give Directly (www.givedirectly.com).
Mara’s family would especially like to thank Miriam Blackmon for the deep friendship she shared with Mara, and the ironclad support she gave for her entire adult life.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, you can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or text HELLO to the Crisis Text line at 741741. Both services provide 24-hour, confidential support to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress.
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