Marilyn Joyce Shroyer

Marilyn Joyce (Eggers) Shroyer, 88, was born on August 21, 1931 in Winona, Minnesota and passed away on May 31, 2020, due to complications of pneumonia (unrelated to COVID-19). She resided in Bellflower, California at the time of her death. She was preceded in death by her parents Raymond and Mildred Eggers; her stepfather Carl Koeth; her brother David Koeth; and the father of her children Lewis Orley Shroyer. She was also preceded in death by her son Jordan Shroyer; her daughter Kathie Rideau; and her two miscarried babies she is now able to meet. She is survived by her sister Diane (Koeth) Pryor; her daughter Susan Barna and son-in-law Chris Barna; her son-in-law Gordon Rideau; her grandchildren Kashmir Horton, Justin Rideau, Shane Rideau, Elizabeth Barna, and Matthew Barna; and her great-grandchildren Robert, Gloria, Grace, Edgar, Brisa, Kase, and Bella.

Marilyn grew up in Winona, Minnesota, where she was baptized at St. Martin's Lutheran Church on September 6, 1931 and confirmed on April 2, 1944. As a little girl, she had slumber parties with her childhood friends Ruthie, Francis, and Arlene. As a teenager, she worked at the local A&W Root Beer stand and let her six-year-old cousin, Marlene, visit her there. Marilyn's younger sister, Diane, remembers Marilyn as loving and caring, adding "She was always there for David and I as we grew up and as adults." She religiously listened to The Lone Ranger on the radio, and after graduating high school, she took on a job at J.R. Watkins. "My dream was to grow up and be like her," Marlene says.

Marilyn moved to Los Angeles County in 1953 at the age of 21 and became a charter member of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Downey. She worked as a secretary at Rockwell International in Downey, where she met Lewis "Lou" Shroyer. She married Lou in 1955 and they settled in Bellflower, California, where they had three children: Jordan, Kathie, and Susan. The family enjoyed camping trips together to Rock Creek in their Fireball trailer, and Marilyn cooked all of the trout that the kids and Lou caught. "She was a good sport about camping," Susan remembers. Kathie's childhood friend, Lisa (Rogers) Abraham, recalls that Marilyn was "the ultimate mom." She took kids in the neighborhood under her wing, teaching them how to sew and inviting them to church.

Marilyn worked for ABC Unified School District in the graphics department as a reprographic technician for 20 years, retiring in 2001. During her time at the school district, she walked along the riverbed with fellow members of the Norwalk Roadrunners Club. Exercise was an important part of Marilyn's life, and she and her daughter Susan took daily walks around her neighborhood after Susan dropped the children off at school. She also enjoyed art and took painting and craft classes with her mother for several years. She could never say no to chocolate, and Snickers bars were her favorite candy.

Marilyn loved her grandchildren dearly. The Rideau grandkids nicknamed Marilyn "Grandma Taco," after an Irish Setter she let Susan name after the Mexican dish. Kashmir remembers standing on a stool in the kitchen, watching her cook. "She always had a pot of coffee on," Kashmir recalls, adding that when she let her try some as a small child, it was more milk than coffee. In elementary school, the Barna grandchildren affectionately called Marilyn "Regular Grandma." She lived less than two miles away from them, and they saw her regularly for school plays, award ceremonies, birthdays, and holidays, so it only made sense. Their paternal grandmother, Betty Barna, was good friends with Marilyn and noted how kind Marilyn was, never neglecting to add, "She is so pretty."
Indeed, Marilyn looked after her appearance impeccably, keeping her hair permed and never failing to put on bright pink lipstick before leaving the house. Blue was her favorite color, and this was reflected clearly in her choices of clothing and jewelry. When she got upset, her arsenal of cuss words included "cripe," "poppycock," and "horse feathers." People from across Marilyn's life, from long-time friends to her primary care doctor, remember her always smiling and laughing. She never raised her voice, which was sweet and soft. Still, Marilyn certainly was brave. Her grandson, Matthew, recalls the time she came across a rattlesnake on a family hike and didn't even flinch.

Dogs were Marilyn's lifelong passion, sparked by the little brown and white dog she had in childhood. She had great affinity for Irish Setters and was an active member of the Irish Setter Club of America's Southern California chapter. She was also an active member of C.H.A.O.S. Dog Club for over 15 years. Her daughter Kathie joked that, when it comes to children, "her dogs come first and we come after that!" Quite a few "redheads" awaited Marilyn at the Rainbow Bridge, including Shauna, Terra, Taco, Beau, Duster, Kayla, Logan, and Lucy, as well as the family dachshund, Burgie. She adopted Lucy through the Irish Setter Club's rescue program, and one of her granddaughter Elizabeth's fondest memories of Marilyn was the time she took her to a local pet expo to help staff the rescue table. Quite independent, Marilyn fostered this trait in her grandchildren and allowed Elizabeth to explore the fairgrounds on her own during the event.

Marilyn lived with Alzheimer's disease from roughly 2008 until her passing in 2020. Rebecca Cashmore, Alma and Sarai Pacheco, and Blanca Montoya were incredible caregivers to Marilyn during much of this time. Rebecca helped Marilyn in her recovery from a broken hip. During the final years of Marilyn's life, Alma did her makeup for special occasions, Sarai put her hair in fancy braids, and Blanca sang and clapped to entertain her. Marilyn loved John Denver and Kenny Rogers, and her caregivers dutifully played it for her. And of course, Marilyn was eternally tolerant of her goofy son-in-law Chris, who played the Mary Poppins soundtrack loudly and danced to "Step in Time" when he visited.

Although Alzheimer's altered Marilyn's life dramatically, she maintained her kind spirit, her sense of humor, her bravery, and her love for her family and caregivers—and of course, for dogs and chocolate. She received out-of-state visits from Marlene and kept in touch with her best friend, Arlene Benson, until her death. Marilyn departed this world peacefully and with dignity at Kaiser Permanente Downey Medical Center, listening to John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads," with Susan holding her hand.

Marilyn will be laid to rest on Tuesday, June 9th at 2pm at Forest Lawn in Cypress, California. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Save Our Setters at http://www.saveoursetters.org/AvailableDogs.html.