Marilyn Hansen Ford, 83, local church and community volunteer, passed away at 3:53 a.m., Monday, October 1, 2018 at Wellbrooke of Wabash. Marilyn will be missed by those who loved her and whose lives she graciously enriched.
She was born April 15, 1935 in Indianapolis, Indiana to Melvin and Dorothy (Richey) Hansen. A 1953 valedictorian of Broad Ripple High School, she majored in psychology and sociology at Northwestern University where she served as president of Kappa Alpha Theta Sorority and graduated with Phi Beta Kappa honors. Summer pastimes on Lake Maxinkuckee included working for the Culver Citizen newspaper and crewing sailing races.
She married Stanley W. Ford (1928-1978) in 1957, and moved to Wabash. A close neighborhood of young families brought lifelong friendships, as would such organizations as Round Table and Tri Kappa.
Family life took precedence to personal pursuits, to the benefit of three sons and seven grandchildren whose interests were unfailingly placed ahead of her own. Marilyn’s North Miami Street home hosted church and family gatherings for 60 years.
Marilyn loved her community. In the schools, she was a part time librarian, a cub scout den mother, a PTO and music boosters president, and longtime coordinator of the Wabash County Honors Band and Choir concerts. As a fundraiser, she chaired division drives for the American Heart Association and the United Fund. As a volunteer, she served on the F.I.S.H board and delivered Meals on Wheels.
Her church was a primary interest. She served as director of Christian Education at First United Methodist Church, where she produced a children’s radio show and sang in the choir. She and Stan taught the third and fourth grade Sunday School class. Later she was the director of the Northern Indiana United Methodist Foundation and also headed the Indiana State Church and Synagogue Library Association.
A life long musician, Marilyn played the piano, cello, and harp. She was a charter member of the Wabash Musicale and served as president of the Wabash County Arts Council. She also co-produced local monster piano concerts. She was a director of the Wabash Valley Music Association and held local and state roles in support of the Indianapolis Symphony. Music was a source of joy and a common thread of lasting friendships.
She was a life member and former director of the Honeywell Foundation and was named the Wabash Area Chamber of Commerce Distinguished Citizen in 1988.
Marilyn is survived by three sons, Steven (Lisa) Ford, Daniel (Tammy) Ford and Mark (Amy) Ford, all of Wabash, seven grandchildren, Melissa, Kristyn, Erika, Katie, Robert, David, and Grant. A brother, Richard (Joan) Hansen of Dallas, Texas, and two nephews and a niece also survive. She was preceded in death by her parents and her husband.
Funeral services will be 10:00 a.m. Saturday, October 6, 2018 at First United Methodist Church, 110 N. Cass Street, Wabash, with Pastors Kurt Freeman and John Cook officiating. Burial will be in Falls Cemetery, Wabash. Friends may call 2-7 p.m. Friday, at Grandstaff-Hentgen Funeral Service, 1241 Manchester Avenue, Wabash.
The family is grateful to Marilyn’s caregivers for their dedication. In lieu of flowers, memorials are to the First United Methodist Church or the Honeywell Foundation.
The memorial guest book for Marilyn may be signed at www.grandstaff-hentgen.com.