Marieke Laura Douridas, a part-time Pacific Palisades resident and former Marquez Elementary School student, died April 30 at her family home in South Pasadena from a seizure. She was 14. An eighth grader at South Pasadena Middle School, Marieke was a consistent honor roll student and recently performed in the school’s production of “Grease.” A gifted actress, she had been accepted to the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA) and won the 2006 Best Actress Award at the 168 Hour Film Festival for her role in the short film “Free of Charge.” Marieke is remembered by the many who loved her for her boundless generosity, her kindness, her quick and dazzling smile and her wonderful sense of humor. She was a talented visual artist who enjoyed listening to music and spending time with family and friends. Marieke adored animals of all sorts and often rescued stray neighborhood cats and dogs with her family. Although she had suffered periodic seizures since she was a small child, Marieke never let her condition stop her from wringing every ounce of joy out of each day she was given and sharing that joy with those around her. Before moving to South Pasadena, Marieke attended Little Red Schoolhouse in Hollywood and before that, Marquez Elementary. Funeral services were held May 6 at St. James Episcopal Church in South Pasadena. In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations be made to the Marieke Douridas Foundation, 16133 Ventura Blvd., Ste 620, Encino, CA 91436, which will support causes that were close to Marieke’s heart. She is survived by her parents, Mieke Kramer and Jim Tavares of South Pasadena and Chris Douridas and Kendal Brenneman of Pacific Palisades; her brother Luka Douridas; and her grandparents, Marijke and Flip Kramer, Judi and Stuart Schmitz, Robert and Geraldine Tavares and William Douridas. She is also survived by nine aunts and uncles, as well as many additional relatives in Holland, Ohio and Texas.
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