Marilyn Gay

Marilyn Elizabeth Gay (née Hoffman) died peacefully in Ocean City, Maryland on July 4, 2025, of natural causes. Born September 11, 1932, Marilyn grew up in Baltimore as the middle of three children in a family rooted in service and community. Her parents were Carl Louis Hoffman and Lena Eleanora Hoffman; her father ran a popular florist shop. Her siblings, Charlotte Meyers (affectionately known as "Chots") and Carl Hoffman, predeceased her. Marilyn worked for the Bell telephone company before marrying Frank Gay. The couple shared many decades together until Frank's passing in 2010.

Marilyn was a devoted mother and grandmother whose home was always open. She is survived by her daughter, Karen Bangs (née Gay), and her grandson, Joseph Letke. She was also cherished by Joseph's wife, Ivonne Letke, who thought of Marilyn as her own grandmother. Marilyn was preceded in death by her stepson, Frank Gay Jr., and by her grandson, Shane Gay.

A lover of gatherings and small pleasures, Marilyn filled her days with church activities, mahjong and Scrabble games, and the crafts she made by hand, including crocheted blankets, ceramics, and other intricate projects. For many years she volunteered at the Peach Festival at St. Peter's Lutheran Church, a service she treasured. Her potato salad was the taste of summer at every reunion, and her Ocean City home was the place everyone came to laugh, linger, and be together. Marilyn will be remembered for her steadfast faith, upstanding values, and unfailing care for those she loved.