Marilyn Ann Auer

Our beloved Sister, Marilyn Auer, passed away at home on August 4th, after having a perfect

final day at the family cabin, Owaissa, where she was surrounded by bird song, wildlife, and

family.

Born in Denver on September 21, 1950, Marilyn attended St. Vincent DePaul Elementary

School and graduated from St. Francis De Sales High School in 1968. She began her

college journey at UNC in Greeley, continued her studies at JFK University in Martinez,

California, and in 1976 graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of

Colorado.

After high school, Marilyn lived a life of adventure for a short time in many European cities,

including Paris, France and Gstaad, Switzerland, with short jaunts to the south of France,

Wales, and Ireland. She made many new friends and stories during this time and arrived

home speaking French. This would come in handy throughout her life, as she lived with

many, many kitties over many years-who also understood French, especially at dinner

time.

The best way to describe our sister is through a list of the things she cherished and of the

people who loved her. It's a long list, not fully inclusive, or in any particular order of

importance.

Marilyn's professional life was defined by her passion for literature and her dedication to

the book review industry. She worked alongside her brother Tom to co-create The

Bloomsbury Review, a national publication devoted to elevating the work of lesser-known

authors, poets, and essayists. Her role-bringing authors and reviewers together-was

both essential and artful. She was tireless in her pursuit of accuracy and insight, often

working late into the night to ensure each issue met her high standards. This really must be

said and emphasized-she was a relentless fact-checker. In addition to other awards, in

2008 The Bloomsbury Review received a Denver Mayor's Award for Excellence in Arts &

Culture.

She loved language, both written and sung, and a had a memory like a steel trap.

Being a bookworm, she could quote from a book she had not read for 25 years and

recommend a certain passage. She was the original source in our world on what to read

next. She always had lists and stacks and scraps of paper with the title of her next author,

book, essay, or article. Thank you for that, Marilyn.

As a child of the '60s, she loved the music of her generation and knew the lyrics to just

about every song she ever heard, and could dance all night long when the situation called

for it. She introduced her two-year-old nephew Callum to reggae music and appropriate

dance moves on the back deck of the cabin during a gathering.

She was informed by her dreams and guided by a profound sympathy for the grace of the

cosmos. She was an active member for many years in the C.G. Jung Society of Colorado. In

more mundane matters, she was a member of the "million miles on the bus club, " with just

about that many stories of riding the Number 15 Colfax bus.

She loved spending time in the mountains at the family cabin and especially enjoyed when

family members and friends would gather on the cabin's back deck for dinners and

conversation.

She loved all wildlife, but especially delighted in the small yard birds, squirrels, and

chipmunks that kept her continuously entertained by just looking out her own back

window.

She was a loving sister. She had many cousins whom she considered to be as close as

siblings. She was a proud aunt to her many nephews on whom she would dispense the

family lore. She loved her neighbors, her community in Capitol Hill, and her friends.

Marilyn kept her relationships strong by communicating in person, in cyberspace, in letters,

emails, and texts. She loved long, deep conversations with friends over coffee or a meal.

She had a strong Facebook presence and spent hours laughing, enjoying, and forwarding to

all some tiny morsel she found that you should know about.

Marilyn Auer was a gift to all in every way possible. We are grateful that we had the privilege

of years with her as our sister, mentor, and an anchor for our family. She was always

welcoming, a friend to everyone, from governors to homeless people on the street. She was

accepting, sensitive, gracious, and kind. She faced a number of health challenges with a

quiet dignity and fierceness of spirit.

Per Marilyn's request, the family will hold a private burial.

The Auer Family would like to invite you all to a celebration of our beloved Marilyn's life on

Friday, October 10, 2025, from 1-5 pm, at The Tattered Cover, 2526 E Colfax Ave, Denver,

CO 80206. The memorial will be in the Event Space on the lower level. (The parking garage

located next to the store is free. No validation is required. Accessible parking spots are

available, for free, in the garage or in the south lot directly behind the store between

Columbine St and Elizabeth St.)

Donations may be made in her name to https://act.earthjustice.org

She was predeceased by her parents, Virginia Grout and Mike Auer; her brother, Tom Auer;

and her nephew, Joe Busto.

She is survived by her siblings: Alice Auer Connor (Ori) and Ken Connor; Gloria Auer; Dan

and Bonnie Auer; and David and Christine (Alia) Auer as well as a big brother cousin Jim

Grout of Indian Hills who had a special bond with Marilyn.

She is also survived by her nephews and nieces: Stephen Busto; John Heigert and Kendra

McAlear; Joe and Sam Bein; Callum and Rebecca Auer; Sawyer Auer and Kelsey Burns;

Randy and Shane Archiquette; Ryan Auer and Jennie Connery. Father John Auer and all the

Wisconsin Auer cousins as well as the 32 Grout cousins sprinkled all over the USA, again

with special bonds to special cousins who remained close during her life.

Additionally, she is survived by her grand-nieces and grand-nephews: Solomon

Archiquette, Della and Lucy Auer, and Coyle Busto.