Marilyn's obituary
In Loving Memory of
Marilyn Elaine Larsen, of Newman, CA, who passed away September 27, 2021, after a short illness with cancer. This year on November 17th, 2025, she would have been 80 years old.
Marilyn’s parents were Marian Howard and Leo Cokely who divorced when she was two. She was born in Hanford, CA where she went to elementary school until the age of 12. Then her mother moved her and her younger sister, Polly, to the Bay Area in Oakland, CA, where she went to junior high and high school.
She met her husband, Richard Larsen, who was a year older, at Oakland High School. They married soon after graduating, had three children, and remained married for 54 years. Her eldest child, a boy named Jeffery, sadly passed away from an aneurysm at the age of five, which left her with two daughters, Irene and Debbie.
While her husband worked in the auto business, Marilyn enjoyed many hobbies that included sewing dolls such as Santa Claus, witches for Halloween, and Raggedy Ann and Andy. Plus she sewed bunnies as air freshener covers, and made baskets and blankets as baby gifts. Her other talents included working with ceramics. She also enjoyed various part-time jobs outside the house.
Marilyn, Rich and the girls often went in their camper to Lake Ladoga to go boating and waterskiing in the summer, and always brought along their beloved dog Ginger, a dachshund/beagle mix.
She is survived by her husband, Richard Larsen, her two daughters, her two grandsons, Sean and Branden, and her sister.