Marian Clarice Dunn

Marian Ballard was born in a log cabin in Birdell Arkansas to George and Helen Ballard. She was the eldest of five children, two boys and two girls: Max Ballard, Jimmy Ballard, Peggy (Ballard) Scott, and Judy (Ballard) Wiley. She spent most of her growing up years in Santa Fe, Oklahoma and attended high school in Velma, Oklahoma, graduating in 1945. She attended one year of college at Abilene Christian College in Abilene Texas, majoring in P.E. During WWII she began writing an acquaintance from church who had joined the Army and was stationed in Italy. During three years of correspondence, she and Claud Dunn fell in love and married August 24, 1947. They lived in Roswell, New Mexico, owning and operating a laundry business. Two sons were born at that time, Donald Lynn Dunn, 1948, and Dennis Lee Dunn, 1952. In 1959 they sold the business and relocated to Portales, New Mexico, where Claud got college degrees in Bible and Speech in order to become a minister with the Churches of Christ. After a time working with churches in New Mexico, they moved to Riverside, California where Darla Claudean (Dunn) Moxon was born in 1966 and foster son, Scott Alan Tucker was added to the famiy in 1971. In 1972 the family moved to Daly City, California and 1977 to Redwood City, California. Marian's final move was in March of 2020 to Fort Collins, Colorado so that she could be closer to her daughter, Darla. From her youth, Marian loved to read, write letters and play sports. She was such a good basketball player that she was recruited to the boys' team in high school. Marian worked side by side with her husband in decades of church ministry and leadership. Despite raising kids and working outside the home, she worked many volunteer hours for the church and did many works of charity on her own time, including caring for people on the margins and those experiencing homelessness. Marian worked for 12 years in the accounting department of Triad Systems, a tech company, in Sunnyvale, California and in Livermore, California. After retiring she worked for 14 years in the home office of Manna International, an international Christian relief and development organization in Redwood City. She lovingly cared for her husband through his final years with Alzheimers. She was proud of her children and grandchildren quickly speaking of their accomplishments to all who would listen. She was a loving and attentive grandmother to those nine grandchildren - always thinking of ways to make the most of her time with them by baking special cookies, playing games, and reading stories. Marian's life was characterized by love, service, good-humor and kindness. She passed peacefully at the age of 94 with loved ones at her side. She was preceded in death by her mother, Mildred Helen (Hufstedler) Ballard, father George Washington Ballard, brothers Max and Jimmy, sister Peggy and son Scott. She is survived by her sister Judy (Ballard) Wiley, two sons and one daughter and their spouses: Don and Pam (Rich) Dunn, Dennis and Lisa (de la Fuente) Dunn, Darla (Dunn) and Bill Moxon and nine grandchildren: Christina Dunn, Alicia Dunn, Annalise Dunn, Mark Dunn, Jason Dunn, Brittany Dunn, Corrie (Moxon) Anderson, Lisa (Moxon) Tallmon, Emily Moxon as well as many nieces, nephews and great-grandchildren.