She's Got Moxie

Marilyn entered the world on January 14, 1938, in Newport, KY into the arms of her grandmother, Louisa. A home birth was not unusual back then, and well, Louisa was the local midwife, delivering most of the babies around town. And this was her fourth grandchild, one boy and now three girls. Marilyn’s birth had been eagerly anticipated by her older sister, Joyce, and her parents, Lena and Bill. 

Three years later, Bill and Lena completed their little family with the birth of their third daughter, Wilma. They lived in Greendale, in a tiny house on Cook Avenue. The house backed up to the local cemetery, and it was not uncommon to find the children playing hide and seek amongst the tombstones with their father. It was a scary and wonderful way to fill the evenings. Bill worked at Schenley’s, the local liquor factory. Lena stayed home, tending to her children and her garden. Lena had a hand with growing things. 

As an elementary student, Marilyn attended Greendale Grade School. She enjoyed school and was a good student. Beyond the school day, Marilyn had structured time where she took dance classes. The dance recitals required costumes that Lena would sew. One year in particular, Marilyn was a mouse. She also had joyful unstructured time with her neighborhood friends, especially at the Priem’s house, since Mrs. Priem and Lena were especially close. Monopoly games could last all day on the Priem’s front porch. The family also took regular trips to visit Lena’s twin sister Rosie in Newport, where everyone would gather at Louisa’s house. The cousins were all very close. 

As a teenager, Marilyn attended Lawrenceburg Consolidated High School, where she was quite popular. She and her friends loved to go to Greek’s where everyone would hang out, drink Cokes, smoke cigarettes and listen to the music from the juke box. Her favorite music was anything by Elvis Presley. She always loved Elvis. She was known for her laugh and her ability to make everyone in the room smile. Marilyn’s wit and dry humor made her very popular in her friend group and particularly with her best friend, Donna. While in high school, she found her first job as a switchboard operator at Lawrenceburg Telephone Company. The family became homeowners instead of renters during her teenage years when they moved from the small home on Cook Avenue to the larger home on Billups Drive. Lena was now working as a lunch lady at Greendale Grade School, and Bill was working at Fernald Feed Materials Processing Center in the laundry room. 

Upon high school graduation, Marilyn stayed in Lawrenceburg to work at Thatcher Glass. But she didn’t stay for very long as life had other plans for her. A relationship took her to Washington, DC. Well, it was Arlington, VA to be exact. Here she worked for Bell Atlantic Systems for the next 28 years with the union. She loved the work and her teammates, even traveling with them on cruises and to her little place on Chincoteague Island. 

While living in Arlington, Marilyn became an aunt to Joyce’s three daughters. Yes, Joyce had three more girls. Marilyn loved being an aunt and never missed a milestone event. She was generous with her time and her money, purchasing wedding dresses and supporting the efforts of her sister and brother-in-law, Jack. Marilyn and Jack were in the same grade but in different schools. Marilyn introduced Jack to Joyce, and well, they married in 1960, so perhaps we add matchmaker to the many talents of Marilyn. 

Marilyn called the three girls “you kids” and loved to know all the latest details of the girls' lives. She would put her hair up in rollers and plug in her gigantic portable hair dryer and chat while her hair set. She was the best at sharing the news and telling stories. And if you were lucky, she would get so tickled at something she would laugh until the tears flowed. She was great that way. She was a member of the Sailing Club in DC and though she did not sail, she loved to ride with friends and have brunch there every Sunday. 

She would not fly on an airplane but made all her trips to Atlanta and Lawrenceburg by train. She always traveled in the sleeper cabin and had a story to tell upon arrival. She never missed a Christmas, graduation, or wedding. At least once, each of the girls went to Washington or Chincoteague to spend a week with her where you could always get a Fresca, as she kept the refrigerator stocked with her favorite beverage, or a lemon drop or fire ball to satisfy her insatiable sweet tooth. She was a fierce protector, never allowing the girls to go into water above their navel. Not that any of them listened. The girls saw the horses swim from Chincoteague, swam in the ocean, scared her to death by pretending one of them had fallen out of the truck bed, and walked the beaches. It might not have seemed like much to many people, but to her oldest niece in particular, Chincoteague felt like a beach resort. 

Marilyn moved back to Lawrenceburg in the 1990’s to help care for her mother. Her father had passed in 1980 from a long battle with cancer. She was ready to return to her hometown. She had always loved Greendale and was excited to move back. She and Wilma shared a home and friendship on Ridge Avenue, looking out for each other while caring for their mother. She cared about her health and was an avid member of Meador’s gym, walking on the treadmill every day for 45 minutes. Marilyn worked for a time at Cincinnati Bell and later for Robinson’s and Son’s trucking where she helped organize, strategize, and execute shipping orders. 

And the family continued to grow. There were weddings and babies, making Marilyn and Wilma great-aunts, not just “regular” aunts to five great nieces and nephews. The relationship Marilyn had with her nieces continued in the next generation. She could be found on the sidelines cheering on the cross-country teams, watching baseball games, and listening to cello concerts. 

Marilyn and Wilma loved to travel, often taking their mother and her twin sister Rosie on their trips to mountain cabins where Marilyn would do her birdwatching. Marilyn loved the birds and their songs. She even had a clock that chimed a different bird song every hour, much to the chagrin of the rest of her housemates. She became active in her church, a lifelong member of First Baptist Church of Greendale and remembering her love of the cemetery as a child, Marilyn was an active member of the Greendale Cemetery Board. 

Unfortunately, eventually it became apparent Marilyn was struggling with her memory. The difficult decision was made in 2017 for her to move into Ridgewood Assisted Living. A birdfeeder was placed outside her window, and her room was stocked with her favorite snacks. She adjusted beautifully and once again became the belle of the ball. Everyone loved her. She went out of her way to make you smile and laugh. She hated “rules” and would blatantly disregard them. And you couldn’t get mad because she would just tease you and make you laugh to get her way. And it worked. She was authentic and true to herself even though her memory was fading. 

She never forgot certain things though. 

Like her love of the color yellow. 

Or her sisters and nieces. She remembered stories and places asking Wilma to drive her all over Greendale so she could revisit her childhood. She loved her town. 

And we loved her. 

And, as Elvis would say, “We’re all Shook Up” over the loss of our beloved sister and aunt.  

Me and Marilyn Circa 1977