Marilyn Gordon

Marilyn Turner Gordon, age 71, passed away on August 7th, 2025, from Alzheimer's Disease. She will be mourned and greatly missed by Bruce, her husband of 51 years, her daughter Micha, and her son, Sam. She is also survived by her mother, Carol Roth, her brothers, Raymond, and Frank, and her sisters, Bernace and Helen.

Marilyn was born in Texas and raised by her late father, Sam Turner, and his wife, Mary Turner, who loved her dearly. In 1967, she and her family moved to San Jose, CA. She and Bruce met while in high school; Marilyn at Willow Glen and Bruce at Pioneer (rival schools!). They both attended the same local church. Bruce and Marilyn were married at that church on October 6th, 1973.

Marilyn graduated from San Jose City College with an AA in Secretarial Science and worked at Fluorocarbon in Sunnyvale, and then at Hewlett Packard in Palo Alto. Wanting to be able to work from home and be a full-time mom, she trained to become a Court Report Transcriber, a job she did for the next 32 years. She worked closely with Irene Resler, a court reporter, for many of those years and the two of them developed a great friendship.

Marilyn always knew that she wanted to be a mother and was overjoyed when she and Bruce welcomed Micha Ann into the world in December 1979. Micha was followed 4 1/2 years later by Samuel Lester, born in September 1984, rounding out the family of 4. Marilyn loved being a mom and spent the next several decades driving her kids to theater camps, soccer games, band practices, and all other manner of activities. She was also an active parent volunteer with the Kirk Community Theater Group for the many years that Micha and Sam were involved with the program. All their lives, Micha and Sam knew their mother loved them with all her heart.

Marilyn and Bruce both loved musical theater. Through several trips to New York and a season subscription to the American Musical Theater of San Jose, they introduced their children to the world of the theater as well. Marilyn and Bruce were also frequent travelers, and visited France, England, the Netherlands, Budapest, Germany, Hawaii as well as every Disney Park (except Shanghai). That trip was planned, but Covid and then Marilyn's health prevented it. Marilyn also loved visiting Pella, IA, where she went over a dozen times. She often traveled there with her sisters, and adored spending time with her aunts and uncles.

Marilyn met Debbie Porrovecchio while their boys were both in the nursery at Hillside Church and they formed a lifelong friendship that lasted until Marilyn's passing. Together, they spent hours crafting cards and scrapbooks that were freely given to everyone in her life. In later years, they ran crafting workshops, teaching others how to make the cards that brought them so much happiness.

Marilyn was a member of the Hillside Church; while she volunteered her time and love in many different ways, she was happiest when she was singing in the choir. She was a member of the choir for decades, and her smile from the choral risers lit up the sanctuary.

Marilyn took delight in simple things. She loved cross stitching, Giant's baseball, Lord of the Rings, gathering shells on the beach, visiting Yosemite and the Redwood Forests, the USC band and football team (Fight On!), and the family's cabin in Mt. Hermon. Her ability to find joy will be missed by all who loved her.

A celebration of Marilyn's life will be held at Hillside Church of San Jose on Saturday, August 23rd at 2 pm.