“We all are deeply missing our American sister and aunt,” wrote Dr. Thomas Breinlich, Marianne Oweiss’ youngest brother who lives in Germany.
Oweiss was born in Germany in 1951, the second of four children of Irmgard and Richard Breinlich.
“Marianne was a charming and hard-working person, who always tried to care for her loved ones. When coming to see us in Germany, she always brought nice presents for us and all children — very personal items we always loved,” said Breinlich.
Marianne Oweiss, a native of Germany, worked as a simultaneous translator (English, German, and French) for patent attorneys before coming to the United States to earn a degree in medical technology.
After earning her degree, Oweiss married her husband Zakaria Oweiss and worked in his obstetrics and gynecology practice for over 20 years.
Oweiss, the mother of two sons, Omar, 22, and Amin, 19, began practicing real estate for Coldwell Banker Realty Pros in 1996.
“She adored her children. She often talked about her two sons,” said Joan Reilly, the week after Oweiss was murdered in her home in Potomac on Aug. 15, 2001. Reilly was Oweiss' boss at Coldwell Banker.
Oweiss lived in the area for over 26 years. She volunteered with Table for the Poor, Welcome to Washington and The Goethe Society. She enjoyed gardening, walking her golden retriever and Samoyed, scuba diving, playing tennis, reading, and traveling. She took Arabic lessons in Egypt the summer of 2001.
“She was a wonderful mother to me,” testified Omar Oweiss, 22, an economics student at the University of Maryland.
<1b>— Ken Moore