Marilyn Anne Cothran

Marilyn was born on July 11, 1931 to Raymond and Alice Neis. She was raised on a farm in Ossian, New York. She was the oldest of four children. Her two beloved sisters, Helen and Mary, preceded her in death, and her much loved brother is David. She loved New York State, but longed to see California, so struck out armed with her excellent secretarial skills to the Golden State. She met Willard “Bill” Cothran and married. He was an Air Force man, so their life in the armed forces had begun. From Hamilton Air Force Base, California, where their eldest daughter, Anne, was born to Lakeland AFB, Texas, Maguire AFB, New Jersey, a stint in France, K I Sawyer AFB, Northern Michigan, where Kathleen was born. Between this time and the next, the girls and Marilyn spent six months in New York State with her sisters and their spouses and her brother, father, nieces and nephews, all of whom she loved lots. Then it was back to a tiny town in Northern California named Yreka, where there was to be an Air Force base outside a tinier town, Montague. Bill served eighteen months in Vietnam, while Marilyn was happy to be a wife and mom, also worked some, helping to keep her awesome skills sharp. Upon his return from overseas, they transferred one last time to Florida, where their daughters had paternal family and their Dad had been raised. He retired from the service and they moved back to Yreka to settle down for good. Marilyn went to work for the U.S. Forest Service and Bill was an agent for New York Life Insurance. They divorced in the early 1980's, neither to marry again. Marilyn’s career with the forest service blossomed. She liked what she was doing and had encouragement from others that saw something in her. Programs such as Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity helped along with her good work skills. She became a Timber Appraisal Specialist, a position that required her presence at a hearing in Washington DC and her expertise in Juneau, Alaska. She loved that job and no words can express how important her Forest Service family was to her. Family was key to Marilyn’s life. Kathleen’s two children, Jenee’ and Chad Wheeler, and Chad’s wife, Jenelle, will miss their Nana mightily. Ashera, Marilyn’s first great granddaughter, will miss reading to her great g-ma and long visits and feeding the birds at home and at Greenhorn Park. Adelle, Chad’s four month old, had just visited her great g-ma in March, all the way from Reno. She had yet to know how special Marilyn was. Anne’s stepdaughter, Melissa Culbert and her family, David and Kyra, will miss her, also. Marilyn’s death on April 19, 2013 happened quite suddenly and took family and friends by surprise. Gaynell Irvine, her best friend, Kathleen, Anne and her husband Wayne were by her side when she passed. Her brief stay at Madrone Hospice was punctuated with visits from family, friends and the doggies she so loved. She was totally at peace and comfortable when she went home to Jesus and God. We made certain of that. Her sisters were waiting at the edge of the meadow with a collie, probably named Lady, and a flock of sheep with their lambs that need tending. Godspeed, Mommy. Please join us for a memorial service on Friday, April 26, 2013 at 10:00 AM at Girdner Funeral Chapel. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Madrone Hospice, 255 Collier Circle, Yreka, CA 96097.

Marilyn Anne Cothran

July 11, 1931 - April 19, 2013