Confirmed: Marie Wuczynski Passes

By Chuck Sudo in News on Feb 9, 2011 10:40PM

From the office of corrections: We received a couple of tips after our Monday post on the rumors that Marie Wuczynski, owner of Marie's Riptide Lounge, passed away, which we were told by someone on the phone at the time was not true. So we decided to place another call into the venerable Bucktown tavern and spoke with Marie's longtime employee, Tina Congenie. Ms. Congenie confirmed that Marie did indeed pass away Monday morning.

"She died with a smile on her face and holding my hand," Congenie said. We asked about the conflicting reports between what was told to us on the phone and what we were receiving via tips. Congenie said, "We wanted to let family and close friends know first before breaking the news." She added, "I have no idea how the news got out as fast as it did."

Photographs of Ms. Wuczynski will be blown up as a tribute to her at the bar Friday. Funeral arrangements and mass are pending at this time.