News & Blog

Broadmead Welcomes New Residents, Martin and Marnie Pilachowski

By Kathleen Truelove

About Martin:

Martin Pilachowski was born in his father's childhood home on Ann Street in Fells Point. He was raised in the Westport neighborhood of Baltimore and attended high school at Loyola Blakefield. He majored in political science at Loyola College (now Loyola University of Maryland) and was captain of the varsity lacrosse team in his senior year.

Martin then served in the Navy, which included submarine and surface fleet duties, as well as search and rescue in Vietnam. After his service, he began a career in international banking, first at Maryland National Bank. He did postgraduate study in international lending at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business. During his time at the bank, he was assigned to conduct a study in Tokyo, which took Martin and his wife, Marnie, there for seven months, a time they both enjoyed.

Before his retirement, Martin worked in private mortgage banking. He served on the management team for the 150th anniversary at Loyola Blakefield, which raised money for new construction at the school. His volunteer work included the College of Wooster's Scots in Service program, his son's alma mater. He also volunteered at the Ronald McDonald House at the University of Maryland Hospital, preparing meals for families staying there. In addition, he served on the executive committees of two major international lacrosse tournaments.

Martin has moderated several Great Decisions seminars, as well as a seminar on international banking, at the Renaissance program at Notre Dame University of Maryland. His hobbies include reading and watching lacrosse and football.

About Marnie:

Marnie Brooks Pilachowski put her skills as a downsizing consultant to good use as she and her husband, Martin, prepared to move to Broadmead after 44 years in the Stoneleigh neighborhood, south of Towson. Marnie had helped her mother downsize and found that she enjoyed the process. Through word of mouth, she made a career doing it for others. It was her third career, separated from the first two by the years she spent at home with her children, her son, Matthew, and daughter, Megan. During that time she volunteered at their schools.

Raised in North Baltimore, Marnie attended the Bryn Mawr School and then went on to Boston University for a degree in elementary education. She returned to Baltimore after graduation, where her first job was substitute teaching for her own second grade teacher. She then turned to tutoring algebra and trigonometry, since these were the subjects in greatest demand.

For her second career, she started the Child Life program at Children's Hospital, now part of LifeBridge Health. For three years, she supervised 30–50 volunteers. When Martin's work took them to Tokyo, Marnie resigned from the hospital to accompany him. She greatly enjoyed life in Tokyo, especially the opportunity to meet people from all over the world.

Marnie met Martin at the Elkridge Club, where her family were members. She was 17 and Martin, 21, was a substitute lifeguard. Marnie found him "cute and easy to talk to." They have now been married for 50 years. Gardening and sewing are Marnie's hobbies.