A Life Well Lived
If you would rather listen to this Blog, click on the link below. It runs 5:08 min.
It’s rare that we meet an individual who really alters how we think and how we behave, and often those discoveries aren’t realized until later in life, once we become adults. On Thanksgiving day 2025, I, but it wasn’t just me, it was so many of us, lost someone who fit that description.
Fittingly, this person departed on Thanksgiving since everyone was extremely thankful for her. We lost Marilyn Szczotka, who we affectionately called Zot because none of us could figure out how to say, let alone spell, her last name.
Zot was a physical education teacher and our high school drill team advisor. Yet, she proved to be more than those titles to us as she navigated with grace all of the raw emotions, ups and downs, and endless drama of teenage girls!
She was simply a beautiful, one-of-a-kind soul who gave so much of herself to all of us.
Our drill team, a group of 45-60 girls (10-12th grade), marched behind the band during parades doing military style routines (in competition), did half-time entertainment at school sporting events, and put on spring shows performing dance routines set to popular music. I learned many life lessons from those experiences, and you can read/listen to more in my previous Blog here: Drill Team and Life.
We were blessed to keep Zot in our lives for almost 50 years after we graduated.
I found out more about her backstory when, during the pandemic, I invited her to contribute to my compilation book, From Us For You. A collection of stories from 25 women about how each overcame a situation or learned something important in her life. The book’s purpose meant to inspire or encourage. I knew Zot must write something because she was the epitome of inspiration for so many young girls, now turned women.
I had to talk her into writing her chapter, Best Friends and Equal Buddies. She wasn’t sure she could do it, saying, “I’m a P.E. teacher, not an English major!” I helped her tell how she transitioned from being a child pretending to be a teacher to choosing education as a vocation and getting involved in drill teams. Zot was an advocate for women’s sports and activities in terms of fairness and opportunity.
One story stood out for me about when she observed another educator referring to students by numbers rather than by names. Zot decided then that she would never refer to someone by just a number and would always know her students’ names. And by golly, she did. Decades after our graduation, she remembered everybody’s names. Such an intimate expression of respect.
Zot did so much more than just that, though; she was a great mentor and offered a solid example of how to treat others. She had a significant impact on me, but there are probably hundreds of other women she impacted as well. Not only by being an excellent teacher, but also because she was always sincere, never fake, and encouraging words continuously fell from her lips.
At her core, she was an amazing, caring woman who gave her heart to her students. She wanted to see them succeed, be happy, and productive, and thankfully, she witnessed those results with her own eyes for many of us.
In high school, we thought anyone over 25 was old (haha), so we always figured Zot so much older than us; however, she was only in her 30s at that time!
I remember putting together our first official drill team reunion (25 years after graduating), and Zot attended, along with 50 or 60 other “ladies,” as she often referred to us. She continued to come to all our reunions, and a few months ago we held her 80th birthday celebration.
It’s hard to imagine she will be absent (at least in person) from our future get-togethers, but her bright light will remain in our hearts and memories. She will be missed by so many and will never be forgotten.
A couple of weeks before she passed, my best friend from high school (in California) went to visit Zot in the hospital and reported that she wasn’t very responsive but remained aware. When Cindy told her how much she was loved by all of us, Zot kept murmuring, “My girls, my girls.”
I love you, Zot, and thank you for all that you taught me. All of “Your Girls” will love you forever!
In honor of Zot, I want to share LINKS to 3 things:
An interview we did with her for the chapter she wrote in From Us For You: Zot Interview
The audiobook version of her FUFY chapter that she wrote and narrated: Zot Chapter
Her one-minute inspirational message that each writer did for From Us For You: Zot Inspirational Message
If you know others who would enjoy these thoughts, share this Blog with this easy link: A Life Well Lived
Find easy links to other blog posts about my travels in the On the Move blog series: On the Move
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Find details about my books at dianedresback.com and my filmmaking at mindclover.com.
