Marilyn T. ‘Sugar’ Sahner

Marilyn T. Sahner died peacefully at her home at Peconic Landing overlooking Long Island Sound in Greenport, on April 16, 2024, seven months shy of her 100th birthday. She was born in Brooklyn, on Nov. 21, 1924, to Evelyn (Gerlin) and Victor Sahner.

She was born in Brooklyn Nov. 21, 1924, to Evelyn (Gerlin) and Victor Sahner. Her parents and three older sisters — Eve, Betty and Leah — nicknamed her “Sugar” early on, and it stuck for a lifetime.

She was sweet and smart and warm and fun, and at the same time, strong and hardworking and persistent and generous. Each of these qualities propelled her to success in all that she attempted in life, and that drew so many people to her. Her exuberance for life bubbled over and could not be contained; she became a master storyteller as she shared her recollections in detail, and always with laughter and love.

She was a protégé of Eastern Long Island waters from childhood, having summered happily with her grandparents in Greenport. There, she won her first competitive swimming awards before she was a teenager. Following her early successes, she joined the New York Women’s Swimming Association team, and in 1940, won her first national championship in the indoor 100-yard freestyle; later that year, she qualified at the Olympic Trials. But the games, originally scheduled for Tokyo, then relocated to Helsinki, were ultimately canceled due to the onset of World War II. Marilyn, along with teammates including Esther Williams, were left high and dry in the U.S.

At the end of the war, she was invited to join the Crystal Plunge Swim Team in San Francisco, which was looking for a strong anchor for their relay events. For the next four years, Crystal Plunge won every national team championship. Marilyn switched to distance events and won the national 1500 meters twice — in 1945 and 1947. She was on the All American Swim Team six times, and held three American records. In 1948, London hosted the return of the Olympic Games, but she missed qualifying “by less than an eyelash.”

In 1950, she returned to New York and went to work at Time Inc., as secretary to Life Magazine’s chief of research. Later, she was promoted to the Life managing editor’s office as a junior executive, working with the original seven astronauts to whose personal stories Life had purchased the exclusive rights. As she, too, had “The Right Stuff,” she made arrangements and attended all launches in Cape Canaveral. In covering the 1965 funeral of Winston Churchill, she managed to have a plane refitted to include a color photo lab and a “scoop” office, so they could complete the story on the plane.

She took a six-month leave in 1969 to work for Alan Jay Lerner on “Coco” with Katherine Hepburn at the Mark Hellinger Theater. There, Hepburn sang to an audience for the first time and with all the attendant jitters to be calmed.

In 1970, she returned to Time Inc. as director of radio/TV publicity for Time, Life, People, Money, Fortune and Entertainment Weekly magazines. She placed the journalists and/or people featured in stories on radio, TV talk shows and news programs. As she said, “The job for me and my staff was relentless, but most of the time great fun, meeting interesting people, and working with terrific producers and talent like Tom Brokaw, Gene Shalit, David Hartman, Regis Philbin, Barbara Walters, and so many more.”

Occasionally she traveled the country to publicize one of Time’s new magazines, or a special issue like the 1976 Centennial, written as it would have been in 1776.

After over 40 years with Time Inc., she retired with adulatory celebration in 1993, and, of course, became active immediately on the Board of the Time-Life Alumni Society for many years. She lived in her home in Quogue for 10 years, then moved to her lovely cottage at Peconic Landing in 2003.

Marilyn is survived by a large extended family of nieces, nephews and cousins, and by a legion of friends. She will be remembered at a Mass Saturday, June 14, at noon at St. Agnes R.C. Church in Greenport. Burial will follow at nearby Sterling Cemetery.

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