In Memory
Marilyn R. Lawton
Nov. 19, 1926 - Feb. 14, 2012
Marilyn R. Lawton, 85, passed on Tuesday morning, Feb. 14, 2012 on Valentine's Day, four years to the day after losing her beloved husband, John. Many have noted how special it is that Marilyn and John both left this earth on Valentine's Day. In the words of Marilyn's sister Bettylou, "She couldn't go on any longer without the love of her life so she joined him on Sweetheart's Day. What a love story."
Marilyn was born to Roscoe Abraham and Delta Roselle (Kissinger) Brenneman on Nov. 19, 1926 in South Bend, Indiana. Together with her younger sister, Bettylou, the family enjoyed life on Brick Road. The girls were creative and adventurous, playing "skin the cat" and constructing boats from tin drums that they would ride over the local streams, much to their mother's horror and their father's delight.
During her school years, she participated in many theatrical productions. In her senior year, Marilyn landed the lead in "Too Many Relatives" as Mable Savage. Upon graduation from Clay High School in 1944, Marilyn joined the typing pool at Studebaker Corporation. She met a number of lifelong friends there. During this time, she and a number of friends traveled to Niagara Falls. Marilyn often recounted the trip, taking the boat ride, going under the falls in raincoats. She was an adventurer, friend, and fiercely independent with a will of iron. She contracted polio in 1955 and vowed to walk out of the hospital. Against all odds, she did.
Marilyn met John just as the War was getting underway and they corresponded via letter throughout. When he returned, they eloped soon after, marrying on August 14, 1948. They were each other's confidant, strength, joy, and soulmate. Together they raised a loving family that is now in its fourth generation.
In 1960, John and Marilyn packed up the family and moved to Elmhurst, Illinois. When you asked Marilyn what she wanted from her life, she would reply, "all I ever wanted was to have a family. This is exactly what I wanted." And she excelled as wife, mother, and homemaker. She and John would drive the three kids around in the car on hot summer nights so they would cool off and drift into sleep. Each school day, the kids walked home for lunch and there Marilyn would sit, relaxedly smoking a cigarette, inviting them to have whatever they wanted, from leftovers to spaghetti-o's to cinnamon toast. She was open, forgiving, and a brave and trusted confidant. When the kids came home from school, they were often greeted by the smell of baking cookies. Seriously.
Marilyn was an avid and terrific bridge player. With Nancy, Jeanne, Mary Ann, and Maggielee, Tuesday afternoons would find her at the bridge table. The day before her stroke, Marilyn won at bridge that afternoon. She was a friend, and source of comfort to many. She loved watching the birds, delighted in the spring flowers, and music. She cruised around in her Mercury singing along to Rod Stewart and Englebert Humperdink. Monday nights she was glued to the television, enthralled by Dancing with Stars. She enjoyed knitting and crocheting. Over the years, she gifted her loved ones with numerous afghans, sweaters, hats, and slippers, which will continue to warm us, body and soul.
Although her body weakened, Marilyn's sharp intellect never wavered. She was a deeply intelligent woman, with a keen and ready sense of humor and an acceptance of the way of the world and each of us. She was not one to swim against the stream, yet she knew who she was and spoke her truth. She was wise, perceptive, and if she didn't like the soup, she didn't hesitate to say so.
Following her marriage to John, and with his encouragement, Marilyn converted to Catholicism. As the years passed, she developed into a deeply religious woman and her faith became her cornerstone. For many years, she volunteered for one hour every Thursday for Holy Hour at Corpus Christi Church. When asked if she was afraid to die she replied "No. Because I know I will see the face of Jesus and be reunited with dad."
07/16/2022 DEC
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