Marilyn Harley Johnson

Marilyn Johnson

July 13, 1929 – Jan. 31, 2021

Marilyn Harley Johnson, beloved wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother, died peacefully with son Fred at her side on January 31, 2021. Born in Augusta, Maine, she grew up with four sisters, learning pursuits that brought her joy throughout her life: quilting, gardening, cooking, skiing, and quiet study.

Marilyn attended high school in Augusta and went on to Pembroke College, where she developed friendships that lasted a lifetime. Studying piano at the Boston Conservatory of Music as her husband, Fred, completed his PhD in organic chemistry at MIT was a source of great pride, as was sailing from Le Havre to New York on the maiden east-west voyage of the SS United States in 1952.

Marilyn raised her family in Berkeley, California. Here, she expanded her love of classical music by volunteering at the San Francisco Opera, Ballet, and Symphony. Skiing trips to Sugar Bowl were treasured family activities, as were early stays at Lake Cobbosseecontee in Maine, annual back-packing trips to the Sierras, and nightly dinners highlighted by favorite recipes: Boston clam chowder, lamb roasted in coffee, bûche de nöel, jelly roll, and apricot soufflé. Marilyn's children marveled at their mother's stamina to craft not only beautiful pieced and applique quilts-for which she received a Silver Thimble award in the 1970s-but also her construction of a lace-like Christmas Village inspired by magazines she collected: Women's Day, McCall's, Redbook, and Ladies Home Journal.

Gatherings at Hoe & Hope in Piedmont refined Marilyn's gardening and flower-arranging skills, which veered into enthusiastic rose cultivation at her St. Helena ranch; favorite cultivars included "Julia Childs," "Peace," and "Mister Lincoln," as well as others enjoyed on trips to Filoli and the Berkeley Rose Garden. Dinners with husband, Fred, at the San Francisco Chapter of the Commanderie de Bordeaux were enjoyed along with many Bohemian Club lectures and events. Marilyn was a long-standing member of Town & Country Club in San Francisco and the Claremont Country Club. In later life, she cherished the feisty and loyal companionship of her papillon, Lily.

Marilyn had two grandchildren, Sarah Grandin (Olivier Pecquenard) and Harley Grandin (Karolina Bartnicki) and, starting in kindergarten, she and husband, Fred, never missed a school event. Marilyn is survived by her four children: daughters Ann Grandin and Victory Foley, and sons Frederick and Seth (Shivani Seastone), and two great-grandchildren, Margaux and Auguste. Donations in Marilyn's memory can be made to Filoli, 86 Canada Road, Woodside, CA 94062.