Marilyn Lawson was a grade behind me in school, but we farm girls rode the same bus through high school. She was Cousin Judy’s seatmate, but when basketball season arrived, Judy and my seatmate (Emily Nevitt) stayed for practice, so Marilyn and I shared a bus seat.
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Both of us were in the French horn section of the Earlham band.
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After high school, Marilyn and I were mainly “Christmas card friends” for a few decades, but when she returned to Iowa, she not only became a beta reader for the first two “Leora books,” she also hosted me for two book clubs (at Dexter and Minburn).
I knew that Marilyn was a polio survivor but she never talked about it during our growing up days. Years later she wrote a book about the experience for her children and grandchildren. Both the Dexter Museum and the Dexter Library have a copy of it, called My Mean Mom, because of the arduous physical therapy they endured after weeks in the hospital.
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Marilyn shared her polio journey as part of the Senior Speaker Series in Earlham, and was a finalist at the the 2021 Our American Stories event in Des Moines.
Marilyn often shared cheerful stories on Facebook about their too-active dog Skippy, piano pieces, and even her early attempts with her new marimba. I miss those.
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How I’ll miss this delightful and generous friend.
Marilyn’s obituary.
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The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. – Deuteronomy 33:27
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