Marilyn McKeever

1927 - 2021

Marilyn McKeever
March 17, 1927 - July 4, 2021
Fresno, California - The McKeever family is saddened to share that after a short season of decline, our beloved mother, Marilyn McKeever, passed away at the age of 94. She was a remarkable woman who lived a full and vibrant life.
Marilyn was born March 17, 1927, in Stuttgart, Arkansas, to Hazel and Everett Spafford, and older brother Robert "Moe." She very much enjoyed having a St. Patrick's Day birthday, which gave others a reason to celebrate with her. The family soon relocated to Modesto, CA. There Marilyn attended grammar and high school, leaving at age 18 to attend UC Berkeley as an art major. After her sophomore year, she transferred to UCLA where she graduated with a double major in architecture and costume design.
Marilyn loved adventure. While at UCLA, she was known to have ridden her bicycle on the freeway all the way to Pasadena to visit her friend Lucille because, she said, "it was the fastest way to go." After graduation, Marilyn and her lifelong friend Lucille traveled through Europe on bicycles, carrying their belongings in backpacks and staying "on the cheap" at hostels.
Once back in the US, Marilyn taught school for a few years and enjoyed her summers off by camping with friends in Yosemite. On one such trip she met Raymond McKeever of San Francisco, who was camping with a group of his friends. Marilyn and Ray were married on July 25, 1954 and celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary by renewing their vows in the chapel in Yosemite Valley, followed by a family celebration at the Ahwahnee Hotel.
Marilyn was an amazing wife to Ray, energetic mother of five sons – Brian, James, Patrick, Michael, and Daniel; mother-in-law of four women – Jan Monaghan, Sherry McKeever, Karen McKeever, and Dana Counts; grandmother of six – Sean, Jeffrey, Jacob, Lucas, Madeline, and Aidan; and great-grandmother of three – Cora, Finn, and Dianne. Not surprising to those who knew her, Marilyn was chosen Fresno County's Mother of The Year in 1981.
It isn't easy to convey how much she was able to pour into her 94 years of living. She was an artist, adventurer, seamstress, world traveler, lover of family, and lover of architecture and design, using her talents to design the five-bedroom Mid-century modern house near Fresno State where the family was raised.
Marilyn appreciated nature and the beauty of the west, in particular, Yosemite, where the family camped at every opportunity and where she and Ray volunteered with the Yosemite Association for ten years during their retirement. Marilyn supported other artists, recognizing young talent and purchasing works from regional artists before they were established, especially artists whom she met in Yosemite.
Marilyn nurtured and maintained vast networks of friends, many from the days going back to the babysitting co-op and preschool, others from her extensive volunteer work with Fresno FiberArts Guild, the American Association of University Women (lifetime member and past president of the Fresno chapter), as a docent for the Fresno Art Museum, as well as volunteering with the Yosemite Conservancy, Habitat for Humanity, and St. Paul Catholic Newman Center.
Marilyn was preceded in death by husband Ray McKeever, son Brian McKeever, parents Hazel and Everett Spafford, and brother Robert "Moe" Spafford.
A celebration of Marilyn's life will be held on Saturday, September 11, at 1:00 PM at Wesley United Methodist Church, 1343 E. Barstow, Fresno, CA 93710, followed by a reception. The family requests an RSVP for the reception: mckeever.memorial@gmail.com.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that a gift In Memory to the Yosemite Conservancy (www.yosemite.org/giving) would honor Marilyn's love of the park and lifetime of enjoyment. (Name of person to notify: Michael McKeever, mckeever.memorial@gmail.com, 3773 N. Van Ness Blvd., Fresno, CA 93704.)