Marilyn “Rae” Reich, 78, of Orange, California, passed away gently in her home on October 9, 2025, after a difficult two-year battle with cancer.

Born on June 20, 1947, Rae was the first of two daughters born to James and Shirley (Hellums) Burkhart. She was a third-generation Californian who grew up in Santa Ana and graduated from Santa Ana High School. Rae attended Santa Ana College, where she developed what would become a lifelong passion for ceramics. She was among the first students in the college’s impressive new ceramics department, studying under John Hillis Sanders and George Geyer, who helped shape her artistry.

A naturally gifted artist with an incredible eye and capable hands, Rae became most known for her intricate reticulated pottery, especially her floral pieces. During her years at the open-air Pottery Shack in Laguna Beach, her work became a public draw—visitors gathered to watch her throw pots on the outdoor wheel and decorate them in the observation studio. Her art found homes through many Southern California art fairs and many of her pieces were curated for the clients of notable interior designers. She was featured in local newspapers about her craft, and her work was exhibited at the Bowers Museum.

Aside from selling her art, Rae worked for the Santa Ana School District’s Curriculum Lab and the City of Orange’s first information technology department before spending several years with the City of Orange Fire Department.

Rae married Gerald “Doug” Rife, with whom she had one daughter. In 1973 she married Lou Reich. Though the marriage ended, Rae and Lou remained the closest of friends for life.

She moved to Old Towne Orange in 1974 to help care for her beloved grandmother, Mary Burkhart, who bought her Old Towne home in the 1930s. Rae remained in this home for the rest of her life, tending her garden daily just as her Granny had before her. Her pottery studio on the property allowed her garden to inspire her art—especially her abundant variety of iris, her favorite flower.

Rae was intelligent, witty, strong-willed, and known for her frankness and candor. She loved coffee, cats, sewing, music and books. A voracious reader, she consumed books faster than almost anyone, and her extensive knowledge and remarkable vocabulary made conversations with her both engaging and memorable. She loved welcoming friends into her yard to sit, talk, and relax among her flowers and trees. Her creativity and spirit touched everyone who knew her, and she leaves behind a legacy of beauty, art, and connection.

She is survived by her daughter, Michelle River; sister, Joan Hoesterey; her former husbands, Gerald “Doug” Rife and Louis Reich; four grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

A celebration of life will be held in the coming months for close friends and family. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a cancer charity of your choice or your local humane society in Rae’s memory.

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