On January 12, 2024, Marilyn June (Blood) Kohl, formerly of Lisbon, Huntsville, Mo., Windsor, Mo., and most recently, Arden Hills, Minn., took her leave of this world to enter the loving arms of Jesus. All who knew Marilyn during her 84 years of life knew how deeply she loved her Lord, her husband, her family and her friends. Those friends are innumerable, as Marilyn possessed a gift for immediately making others feel as if she’d known them for years, even if she’d just met them. Marilyn’s life was a rich tapestry of experiences and relationships.
A celebration of Marilyn’s life will be held at 11 a.m., Saturday, Jan. 20, 2024, at the Stewart Baxter Funeral & Memorial Services, Mount Vernon. Visitation for family and friends will commence prior to the service from 9:30-11 a.m. She will be laid to rest at Lisbon Cemetery, beside her beloved husband, Delmar.
Those unable to attend are invited to watch the service via livestream. Please find the livestream link on Marilyn’s tribute wall and share your support and memories with her family at www.stewartbaxter.com under obituaries.
Marilyn was born Feb. 17, 1939, to Bob and Lucille Blood of Lisbon, the first-born of their four children. Marilyn would grow to spend a lifetime loving and helping children, beginning with her younger siblings (Jim, Vera and Dennis), moving on to her own six children, and reaching out to include any child within her church, family, or community who captured or needed her attention. Even within her hazy, incoherent final days, holding a great-grandchild allowed her to regain the clarity of mind to sing “Jesus Loves Me” from deep within her soul. There can never be any doubt that Jesus, and Marilyn, loved children.
While a schoolgirl in Lisbon, she met and eventually married the love of her life, Delmar Lee Kohl, Sept. 25, 1957. Together, they celebrated 60 joy-filled years, marked by mutual respect, deep affection and service to the Lord. While their life together focused on farming and raising a passel of kids, Marilyn branched out to find other interests to fill her time when their nest emptied. Her love of flowers drew her to work in a local Windsor, Mo. greenhouse for several years, and her love for people compelled her to volunteer in local nursing homes. Much of Marilyn’s happiness and contentment in life lay in the enjoyment of simple pleasures — the sight of butterflies and birds, the tranquility of flowers and her favorite color blue, and the sweetness of a well-earned treat or the delight of creating one for others.
Marilyn’s life was not just defined by the love she shared with Delmar but also by the extensive family they nurtured together. She leaves behind a legacy through her children: Samuel Lee (Suzanne), Daniel Ernest (Mindy), Anna Marie (Scott) Brueske, Dr. Andrew Ray (Susan), Nathanael Earl (Lori), and Jacob Lloyd (Paula) Kohl. Her spirit continues to resonate in the lives of her 21 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren, each embodying a facet of her loving nature.
Marilyn loved wholeheartedly and had so much pride and joy in her large family. She loved to recite everyone’s names, in order, with their spouses’ and children’s names. She rarely missed a beat. As dementia took a stronger hold, she resorted to writing down the names and birth dates over and over, as she was determined to not lose touch with her life’s most prized possessions. That love of family, combined with a love for her Savior, created a tremendous prayer warrior.
Marilyn also loved music and did what she could to encourage that love within her children, especially if it meant using those musical talents to tell the story of Jesus. She loved to sing, spontaneously bursting into song at the drop of a hat. She could sing countless children’s songs and hymns from memory, even when that memory was greatly hampered by dementia. The songs of faith carried her through those final hours, into the arms of her Savior. When all else failed, worship remained an involuntary act for her.
The family wishes to extend their heartfelt thanks to all who have provided support and love during this time. In lieu of flowers, they suggest donations to Foreign Missions or Coyote Hill Foster Care Ministries, coyotehill.org, a cause close to Marilyn’s heart, reflecting her lifelong spirit of generosity and community support.
Marilyn’s life was a testament to the enduring power of faith, love, the strength of family bonds, and the joy found in life’s simple moments. Her memory will be cherished by all who knew her, serving as a beacon of warmth, resilience, and grace. Marilyn’s presence in and prayers over our lives will be profoundly missed, but the legacy of her love and the lessons she imparted will forever remain.