Maria Jane Machinski

Maria Jane Machinski, a multifaceted artist, talented cook, skilled seamstress and cherished mother has died at age 62. 

Maria passed away suddenly but surrounded by loved ones on the fifth of September at Toledo Hospital — the same location where she welcomed her only daughter into the world thirty years earlier. 

Born in Toledo on May 18, 1964, to Marvin and Helen Machinski, Maria attended Rogers High School and graduated a year early in 1981. She was creative and artistic from the start - drawn early on to theatre, cheerleading, and playing the flute. She went on to study theatre at the University of Toledo. 

Maria was cherished for her skills as a talented seamstress. One of her first jobs was working as a tailor and seamstress alongside her grandma Helen at Lamson’s Value City on Alexis Rd. This job laid the foundation for her career later in life in the Wardrobe Department at the Stranahan and Valentine Theatres. After joining I.A.T.S.E. Local 24, Maria worked as a Wardrobe Dresser, Stitcher and Beader, she assisted the maintenance of costumes during performances, helped actors with quick costume changes, and loved every minute of it. When she wasn’t working behind the scenes of the national Broadway tours coming through town, she could certainly be found blasting the cast recordings in her car at full volume. 

Maria passed down her passion for the arts to her daughter Aria, who took an early interest in theatre watching her mom live her dream in the wings of the Stranahan, and continues to create art and perform in her mother’s honor. 

Maria was a quintessential Taurus: hard working and stubborn, with a deep appreciation for comfort, afternoon naps, good food, art, music, and the color green. She avoided shopping malls at all costs but adored going grocery shopping. Maria described herself as a “jack of all trades, master of none” - and it would be a shorter list to name the things Maria didn’t enjoy: humid summer days, corporate chain restaurants and reality television.

Maria loved to laugh, and she did it a lot. She also loved to create - everything from stained glass and sketches, to homemade (award winning!) halloween costumes, to pierogi and cheesecakes. She spent many of her favorite Sundays on the couch with her kid, watching Gilmore Girls reruns with a specialty pizza from Vito’s on the way. She gleefully celebrated every first snow and created magic at Christmas. She gardened all spring and genuinely enjoyed pulling weeds in the summer. She could strike up a conversation with anyone, and would always help a stranger in need. She saw beauty in the ordinary, celebrated uniqueness and rooted for the underdog. She self-identified as the black sheep of the family, and she liked it that way. 

Though we choose to hold onto our happiest memories of Maria, the reality is her life was cut short by mental health and addiction struggles. In her memory, Maria's daughter reminds everyone that addiction is a painful and devastating disease, not a moral failing. If you or someone you love is struggling, please know that help is available and you do not have to carry the burden alone. In Maria's honor, please take good care of yourselves and each other. 

Maria's memory will be lovingly carried on by her daughter, Aria Camille Machinski; her parents, Marvin and Helen Machinski; her sister, Annette Greene and her husband Brent; her brother, Michael Machinski and his wife Kim; and her niece, Emma. 

Maria is preceded in death by her adored dog Smeagol; kitty cat, Dasy, and red-eared slider turtle, Cool Belly - all with whom we hope she is now reunited. 

Memorial contributions in Maria’s name can be made to Toledo School for the Arts (333 14th St, Toledo Ohio 43604) where her daughter is collaborating with the school to create a memorial scholarship. 

A celebration of Maria's life is being planned for the spring. In the meantime, listen to a Queen song at a socially unacceptable volume in her memory. 

To share a memory or leave a message for the family, please visit the guestbook. 

Link for TSA donations if needed: https://ts4arts.givecloud.co/fundraising/forms/8NDR96EK