Marilyn Reynolds

"She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue." — Proverbs 31:26.
Marilyn spent her life uplifting those in her own family, and those around her, through her words of wisdom and gracious acts of kindness. She always had a smile and gentle counsel to those who needed encouragement.

Marilyn was born in Cokato, Minn., on April 1, 1928, to August and Frances (Lindquist) Mellin. She grew up mainly in Howard Lake, Minn., and spent her high school years in Minneapolis, where she graduated from Patrick Henry High School in 1946. She attended Minnesota Bible College in Minneapolis, where she met Eugene Austin Reynolds from Clear Lake, Iowa. They were married on June 3, 1949, in Howard Lake. After Gene served as senior pastor at Meadow Park Church in Rochester (now Hope Summit Church), he left the ministry and joined the staff development team at Rochester State Hospital. When the hospital was closed, they moved to St. Peter where Gene took on a staff development post at the Regional Treatment Center. While raising her family, Marilyn worked part time and full time in a variety of roles in social services at Olmsted County Social Services and as a case worker at the St. Peter RTC.

She was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 55 years, Gene; her parents, August and Frances; six sisters, Christine, Verna, Myrtle, Linnea, Ruth and Alice; two brothers, Walter and Kenneth; her niece, Betty Hatrick, who was like a sister; and her dearly loved grandson, Andrew Mellin Reynolds.

She is survived by one older sister, Deloris; her five children, Larry, Mark (Nancy), Cinda (Jason) Sawyer, Kevin (Cindy), and Tim (Becky); three granddaughters, Nikki (Eric) Redman, Sara, and Haley; one great-grandson, Elric Andrew Reynolds, born in July 2015; two stepgrandchildren, Susie (Chad) Donovan and Rock (Kali) Schultz; five stepgreat-grandchildren, Abbi, Anthony, Dean, Jacob, and Lance (Sarah); and one stepgreat-great-granddaughter, Mylaa Renee Donovan, born May 2016. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews, great-grandnieces and great-grandnephews, plus countless relatives throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, Sweden and Finland.

Visitation will begin from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, March 31, at River Park Chapel at Macken Funeral Home, 1105 12th St. SE, Rochester, and will continue from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 1, at the same location. A memorial celebration will be held 2 p.m. Saturday, April 1, at the same location. A birthday reception will follow immediately after the service in the adjacent dining room (April 1 would have been Marilyn's 89th birthday!).

A private family interment will take place at Oakwood Cemetery in Rochester.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial gifts to the donor's choice, or to: Hope Summit Church in Rochester — specifically the Children's Ministry, or to St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Minneapolis — specifically the Music Ministry (https://squareup.com/store/st-lukes-episcopal-church-mpls/item/music-donation), or to the Philip Watkinson Family Mission in Baja, Calif., (https://www.gofundme.com/watkinsons).
Online condolences are welcome at www.mackenfuneralhome.com.