Marilyn Joyce Marshall

September 29, 1942 -
June 16, 2024
Marilyn Joyce Marshall was a one-of-a-kind woman in a million different ways. Everyone who met her knew she loved to talk. She could make conversation with anyone and everyone! But, what people might not know is that Marilyn truly listened. She wanted to hear your hopes and dreams. She wanted to know what you were passionate about and what you truly loved. She was curious! Curious about you and why you thought the way you did. But most of all, she was your biggest cheerleader. Whatever you told her, she would always say, "Well, I think that's just fabulous!"
She loved her family and her hometown of Sioux City, Iowa. She was born on September 29, 1942, to her loving parents, the late Lonnie Mack Marshall and Evelyn Mae Bridges Marshall. The family welcomed Marilyn's baby sister, Linda (Marshall) Klein, just a few years later, and an unbreakable bond of sisterhood was forged. If you spent any time with Marilyn, you'd no doubt hear about her beloved little sister, Linda, and Linda's husband, Mel, whom Marilyn affectionately called a "mensch." Marilyn was a devoted Auntie and absolutely adored her niece Eden Marshall Halprin, Eden's fiancé, Andrew Barajas, and her grandnephew, Andrew Bonner.
Marilyn grew up in a small town, but her talent and curiosity took her around the world. She graduated from Sioux City Central High School in 1960, and the University of Nebraska in 1964, and pursued her love of design at Hallmark Cards, Inc. in Kansas City, Missouri, where she worked for 15 years. When she moved to Seattle, Washington, she taught herself how to create fabric designs and worked for Design Resources, Inc. for a few years. Subsequently, she made interior design her life's work. She designed commercial and residential projects for many years, not to mention all of the free work she did for every person in her life who would ask for her opinion on everything from weddings to first homes. Her taste was impeccable.
Marilyn spent 42 years sharing her life and creating a family with Miguel Avena, whom she lovingly referred to as her "Hache Be." Marilyn was "Bonus Mom" to Miguel's children: Stephan (Elizabeth) Avena; Cinnimin Avena; Davah Avena (Juan) Donis. And, she was "Grammy Mare Mare" to her three Bonus Grandkids: Nicolas Avena; Josef Avena; and Viviana Donis. She relished being a grandma and delighted in spending time with them. She leaves behind Miguel's big, loud and crazy Mexican side of the extended family where she fit right in!
Marilyn had a true love for animals. As a child, she had a cocker spaniel/black Labrador mix named Penny. Later, she adopted a sweet calico cat named Bouhaka (Bou for short). Finally, she and Miguel raised two fur babies, a tailless cat named Lulu Belle and a poodle mix named Zoomi Monsoon Gypsy Princess.
Marilyn passed away peacefully in the Seattle home she shared with Miguel on June 16, 2024. Her spirit and rich legacy live on in the indelible way she enriched our lives and made us better people. She loved beautiful things: art; fashion; interior design; the color black; a pop of red nail polish; a signature jade ring; and the way all of those things made her feel. She was beautiful inside and out, and she saw beauty in everything and everyone. That is the memory we will carry on with us, and, we "think that's just fabulous!"