Marilyn June Hancock was born in the summer of 1934, in Centralia, Illinois. Where the grass always needed cutting, the laundry needed washing, and the garden tending. To hear her tell it, you'd think she spent her youth washing mason jars. But of course, that's not the whole story.

Her parents were John Markham and Ruby Ford Markham who died so long ago one needs a paid Ancestry account to keep track. She attended school in a one room schoolhouse where she was the only one in her class and later Sparta High where she was one of many. She had two sisters, Carol Sue and Janice Kay, who shared one bike and rode the train to grandma's house where they ate cookies while grandma sewed them dresses.

Marilyn married David Stevenson and together they had three kids, Theresa Ann Parsons of Chattanooga, who married Scott Parsons, who has too many children to count; David Keith Stevenson of Frederick, Colorado, whose son Brian, is Marilyn's favorite grandchild; and Stephanie Stevenson who married Peter Cicatelli in hopes of someday becoming a real Italian.

But honestly, her true love was Earll Hancock who made her laugh and loved her the way she always deserved. He paved the way for arrival on May 31, 2023, and right now, they are probably playing cards with old friends. We are sure going to miss her.

Interment will be June 23, 2023, at 10:30 am at Caledonia Cemetery in Sparta, Illinois. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Mosaic. https://mosaicinfo.org/donate-today/Mosaic Mosiac is an organization that provides group homes to disabled people of all ages. Marilyn's grandson, Brian, lives in a Mosaic home in Colorado.