Marilyn Jean KOCHNER

Marilyn was born July 18, 1953, in Seattle, WA, to Barbara and Kinney Miller.

As a child, Marilyn lived in the Lake City district of Seattle, WA; Mt. Vernon, WA; Vancouver, WA; Coeur d'Alene, ID; and Moses Lake, WA. Marilyn participated in Girl Scouts and enjoyed playing acoustic guitar. Marilyn graduated from Moses Lake High School and attended Whitworth University, studying Geology – a lifelong interest.

She was working at U&I Sugar in Moses Lake when she met and married Bryan Wiederrich, the father of her son, Eric. She went on to work at Payless Drug Stores, which took her from Moses Lake to Hermiston, OR; Lebanon, OR; and Spokane, WA. In Spokane, she also worked for Kay Jewelers before pivoting to medical office management for the latter half of her career.

In Spokane, she met a tall Nebraskan in a cowboy hat while out dancing with friends. She was smitten, and not long afterwards, she and Anthony "Tony" Kochner were married.

Marilyn and Tony were active members of their church community, attending Westgate Christian Church and River Christian Church. Tony passed away in 2017.

She enjoyed Moms & Kids Campouts, Women's retreats, rockhounding, taking the dog for walks in the neighborhood park, and looking for bargains at secondhand stores. She enjoyed sewing clothing for herself and Tony, ultimately acquiring a collection of 14 sewing machines before she finally retired from that hobby. She was an excellent baker, and her cookies were a coveted prize.

She enjoyed traveling with family to Washington's coasts and wine regions, Sedona, AZ, Orlando, FL, Glacier National Park, Canada, and the Mediterranean.

She retired in 2019. She passed away August 23, 2025, at Riverview Retirement's Veranda Memory Care Center in Spokane.

She is survived by her brother, Steve (Mary) Miller of Everett; sister, Elaine (Dan) Sivey of Plain, WA; and her son, Eric Wiederrich of Spokane.

A Celebration of Life will be held at the River Christian Church of Spokane, at 10am, on October 18, 2025. Memorials may be made to the Riverview Community Fund care of Riverview Retirement Community.