MARILYNN THOMAS

1942 - 2021

THOMAS Marilynn Ruth Thomas Marilynn Ruth Thomas, a tough-minded, soft-hearted, much-loved resident of Bethesda, MD., slipped out of this world, in sleep, on June 4, 2021 at home, after a valiant, uncomplaining, nearly five-year struggle with ovarian cancer. She was 78. At her bedside were lucky-to-have-had-her husband Richard Victory, adoring son Douglas Thomas Victory, loving daughter-in-law Kimberly Victory (an emergency-room nurse employed by Howard County Hospital) and a kind private caregiver. Marilynn had been provided the tender care of Montgomery County Hospice for several weeks after effective chemotherapy treatments in the John Hopkins wing of Sibley Memorial Hospital had been exhausted. Three physicians extended Marilynn's life significantly and have earned the deep gratitude of her family: Dr. John A. Dooley, a thoughtful internist whose speedy appraisal of her condition and persistence won her the attention of a brilliant surgeon, Mildred R. Chernofsky, who devised and oversaw a marathon operation at Sibley that approached seven hours; and Dr. Bruce R. Kressel, who thereafter treated the changing stages of her condition wisely and well for more than four years. Side effects of the cancer ruled out a clinical trial. All that was the sad part. Otherwise, Marilynn's life was rich with satisfactions. Many of them are associated with her experiences as a psychology professor at Prince Georges Community College, where she taught and enjoyed the company of colleagues and students for 37 years. She did not like cold weather - more about that later - or idleness. She traveled the world - to Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia - and to many regions of the U.S. Her last two trips - to China, then to Alaska - were with her ever-loyal sister Roberta McGovern of North Carolina, who visited Marilynn often, especially during the last several months. Among Marilynn's enthusiasms were scuba diving up and down the Atlantic coast; volunteering in South Florida to teach English as a foreign language to newly arrived adults from Central and South America; her membership in PEO, a national organization that encourages and supports young women; the smart, chatty company of Mahjong players in Maryland and South Florida; and the reading and discussions of three book clubs. Even late in life her bookcases groaned under the weight of new arrivals. As for other reading, there was rarely a word in the Washington Post or in the several magazines she subscribed to that escaped her attention. Serious though she was, she also was quick to appreciate jokes, even the silly ones of her husband, who loved to hear her laughter, which was sometimes ladylike, sometimes explosive. In 1988 the arrival of Douglas Victory brought fresh joy to her life. And in 2018 so did the birth of his and Kimberly's adorable daughter Bridget, who has her dad's blue eyes and apparently his seemingly unlimited energy as well. She and Marilynn bonded from the beginning. Remarkably, the day she was born - on November 26 - was also the day (in 1971) when Richard and Marilynn were married. Marilynn's early dislike of cold weather led her as a college undergraduate to Rollins in Winter Park, FL, where she readily conceded she went to stay warm and have fun. That she did - until she left after her junior year. Subsequently and briefly, she attended Drew University in Madison, NJ, where she had lived with her parents since shortly after her birth, and then - cold weather notwithstanding - moved farther north to attend Boston University, where she graduated and went on to receive a master's degree as well. Her relationship with husband-to-be Richard brought her to the Washington, DC area. There she was assigned field work, often in the West at Indian reservations, by the Urban Institute. A little later, she began attending Catholic University, where she acquired a PhD. And before long she started her satisfying teaching career at PGCC. After retiring, Marilynn and Richard often went south to Singer Island for several months. Marilynn liked especially the temperatures in Florida during October, when hurricane season had ended, the Atlantic's water was still bearable, and the beaches relatively uncrowded. At the beach, eyelids closed, she would track the warmth of the sun like its namesake flower, her face moving in harmony with the passage of the sun across the sky and into the horizon. Besides survivors already noted, relatives fondly remembering her include Roberta's husband John McGovern, their sons Ryan, Trevor, and Sean, and Ryan's wife Lee and sons Kyle, Tate, and Finn; Marilynn's late brother Tom's widow Cathy and their daughter Catey DeCarli, Catey's husband Paul and their son James; her cousin Rhonda Watt and Rhonda's husband Dick; and Marilynn's stepson Drew Victory, his wife Melissa and their daughters Freyja, Katyja, and Brynne. Marilynn attended Kensington's Warner Memorial Presbyterian Church while in Maryland and Unitarian services and programs while in Florida. She was loved by many at both places, friend to even more. A richly blue urn containing her remains will be buried this fall during a private ceremony at the Thomas family plot in Scranton, PA., her birthplace, where it will join those of her father Islyn, mother Ruth, and aunt Sal. Marilynn's request that "Spirit in the Sky" be sung will be honored. Anyone interested in hearing the version to be used - Elton John's - can find it available free on youtube. No flowers, please - unless you decide to plant them in your yard as tokens of remembrance. The family suggests that any donations be made to the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance (ocrahope.org) and/or the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLCenter.org) Please view and sign the guestbook at: www.pumphreyfuneralhome.com www.pumphreyfuneralhome.com