Marilyn Patout Keys

Marilyn Patout Keys, age 82 of Ocean Springs, passed away on Tuesday, December 9, 2025.

She was preceded in death by her mother, Eleanor Landwer Patout, and her father, Eugene Warren Patout.

Marilyn is survived by her loving husband, James Robert Keys; her children, Christopher Darren Keys, Meredith Lynn Cheney (Zach), and Ashley Keys Johnson (Dan); her sisters, Ginger Patout Stein (Joe) and Janice Patout Randall (Wes); her grandchildren, Dylan Pesnell, Tristan Pesnell, Langley Elizabeth Johnson and Alden Grace Johnson; numerous nieces and nephews and a great grandchild.

Marilyn Patout was born in Jeanerette, Louisiana, in 1943. She graduated from Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School in Lafayette, Louisiana, in 1961 and attended Louisiana State University. She was a member of the Delta Delta Delta Sorority and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Education in 1965. She then moved to Houston, Texas, where she worked as an elementary school teacher. Soon after, she met Jim Keys, and they were married in 1966. She and Jim raised three children, Chris, Meredith, and Ashley, in Houston. For most of the past twenty-five years, the Mississippi coast has been home. Marilyn loved living on the coast, and both Pass Christian and Ocean Springs were dear to her. Next year would have included a sixty-year wedding anniversary.

Never one to want, Marilyn found joy in simple activities such as crossword puzzles, reading, and listening to her favorite music. Her guilty pleasures included playing cards and slot machines at the local casinos. Most important, however, was her faith and spending time with family and her closest friends. She was a devoted parishioner of Queen of Angels Catholic Church in Dickinson, Texas, for over 30 years.

Prayer Service will be held at 11:00 am on Monday, December 15, 2025, at Riemann Family Funeral Home, 13872 Lemoyne Blvd., Biloxi, MS, with visitation beginning at 10:00 am. Burial will follow at Evergreen Cemetery Ocean Springs.

In lieu of flowers, please consider memorial donations in Marilyn's name to St. Jude’s Children's Research Hospital, https://www.stjude.org/donate/donate-to-st-jude.html

The Riemann Family Funeral Home, 13872 Lemoyne Blvd., in West Jackson County is proudly serving the family. An online guestbook may be signed and memories shared at www.riemannfamily.com .