Marilyn Nightingale

1924 - 2025

Marilyn Nightingale

March 17, 1924 - January 11, 2025

Marilyn Ford Nightingale, 100, of East Moline, Ill., died Saturday, January 11, 2025 at the Hillcrest Home, Geneseo, Ill. Services will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday, January 16, 2025, at Church of the Cross, 22621 Rt. 2 and 92, Port Byron. Visitation will be one hour before the service at the church. Burial will be in the Greenview Memorial Gardens. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Church of the Cross.

Marilyn was born March 17, 1924, in Moline, Ill., the daughter of Isaac and Marian (Pierce) Pratt. After attending Hampton Grade School, she graduated from United Township High School in 1942, and then from the Moline Public Hospital School of Nursing in 1946. The same year, she served in the US Army Cadet Nurse Corps. Marilyn married Richard M. Ford on August 17, 1946, who preceded her in death on September 30, 1966. She married Roy M. Hofstetter on April 19, 1968, in Albany. On December 20, 1992, she married William E. Nightingale. He preceded her in death in 1996.

Marilyn was a member of the Church of the Cross, Port Byron. She sang in the choir, taught Sunday School, and was a member of the United Methodist Women. During her working years, she worked as a nurse in the offices of Dr. Wm. H. Myers, Coal Valley, and Robert E. LaRue, Erie. She did parish nursing and retired from Riverdale as school nurse in June 1986. Marilyn enjoyed reading, knitting, and visiting with people. She especially enjoyed her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Marilyn is survived by her children, Doug (Debbie) Ford, Cambridge, Ill., Dale (Jill) Ford, O'Fallon, Mo., Donald (Lisa) Ford, Dothan, Ala.; stepsons and families, Roger (Deb) Nightingale, Michael (Chris) Nightingale, both of Orion; sister-in-law, Clara Ford, Greenwood, Ind.; grandchildren, Melissa, Jacob, Cynthia, Richard, Collin, Brianna, Alyssa; and eight great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents; husbands; brother; and sister-in-law, Richard and Wilma Pratt; and a nephew, Daniel Pratt. Share a memory or condolence at www.gibsonbodefh.com.