Marilyn Meier was born on August 24, 1936 to Joseph and Hazel (Schneider) Reichmann and went to our Lord on September 5, 2020 on her 61st wedding anniversary. She grew up in Forest Park, Illinois, with her four sisters: Donna Dassouki, Sharon Radcliffe, Hazel Bimler, and Gloria Frey. In 1954 she attended Valparaiso University for two years, then worked as a secretary for NBC in downtown Chicago. She married Don (who graduated from U of M Medical school in 1961) on September 5, 1959, and then graduated from Eastern Michigan University in January of 1960 with a degree in secondary education. Marilyn taught for a short time before starting her family. She is blessed with three sons and daughters-in-law—Don, Jr. (Sharon McCarthy), Mark (Karen Zaruba), and Chris (Heidi) and one grandson, (Kirk Meier). Marilyn had an almost life-long interest in the theater. In high school she was national president of the Bill Hayes fan club. He was a well-known actor and star of the long running TV series, Days of our Lives. Bill sang at her wedding, ate at her home when he played at the Fisher theater, and shared cocktails with her and Don at the famous Rainbow Room in NYC when he was performing there. Later she became a fan of Jeff Daniels, traveling to Chicago once and NYC twice to see him star in theater productions. In NYC she had the opportunity to have a one-on-one conversation with Jeff, during which she demonstrated her in-depth knowledge of the theater. Marilyn enjoyed traveling, having gone on over 20 cruises with Don and, along with other trips, they have seen much of the world. Marilyn found great joy in her family. Starting on her 40th wedding anniversary, she and Don hosted annual family trips for about 15 years, visiting various US cities and then London on their 50th wedding anniversary. Marilyn possessed a strong Christian faith and had various roles in Clifton Lutheran Church in Marblehead, Massachusetts (while Don was working for two years at Chelsea Naval Hospital during the Vietnam era), and then at Ascension of Christ Lutheran Church where she was on the church council, and now at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Birmingham where she headed the post funeral luncheon program for years. Her small group Bible study was a highlight of later years, providing her with treasured Christian friendships. When it became evident that there was no cure for her fairly recent complex lung problem, she elected to be withdrawn from life support measures to journey to our Lord. She will be profoundly missed. Memorial Service Wednesday, September 9, 2020, 11am at Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, 1800 W. Maple Rd., Birmingham. Those wishing to make an expression of sympathy are asked to consider a donation to Lutheran Church of the Redeemer c/o Sacred Space 1800 W. Maple Rd., Birmingham, MI 48009 in Marilyn's memory.