LYNDON, Kan. – Marilyn Jean (Pierce) Walquist, loving wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother and friend, was reunited with her late husband when she passed into Heaven on March 2, 2023. Marilyn was just 75 years old. Marilyn was born to Lorenzo and Pauline (Tonetti) Pierce, Dec. 14, 1947, in Topeka, Kan.
After graduating from Lyndon High School, Lyndon, Kan., Marilyn attended Emporia State University.
Her life centered around her family. On Aug. 28, 1966, Marilyn married her high school sweetheart, Wayne Walquist.
The couple raised three daughters, Amy, Carrie and Megan, and always welcomed extras to their home. The family traveled many, many miles showing livestock and attending school activities for the girls. Avid K-State fans, the Walquist family enjoyed season tickets to football, including the pregame tailgates with friends, and occasional halftime breaks with other K-Staters. Truly, Marilyn did not know a stranger and the football games were no different. Marilyn was one of the biggest, and sometimes loudest, sports fan.
Helping others was not only Marilyn’s passion but her profession. She partnered with Wayne in Wayne’s Clothing, helped pick out last minute Christmas gifts at Beatty’s Western Wear, and spent many years greeting patients at Cotton O’Neil Clinic in Carbondale. Her compassion and care for others was recognized in 2003 when she was awarded the Manuel E. and Anne B Pustiz Award from Stormont Vail HealthCare.
A lifelong resident of Lyndon, Marilyn lived her adult life just across the street from her childhood home.
She was very active in the community – a member of Jaycee Jane’s, a community leader for the Lyndon Leaders 4-H Club, a coach for the girls softball teams, and so much more. In her retirement, she volunteered for Meals on Wheels and helped the Lyndon United Methodist Women with numerous outreach efforts.
Some of Marilyn’s greatest joys were dancing with Wayne and traveling with friends.
She will be forever cherished by her family, daughter, Amy (Chris) Eichem, Wamego, Kan.; daughter, Carrie Shaffer, Richmond, Kan., and granddaughters, Shelbye Fish, Morgan (Cadin) Bolinger and Taylor Jilek; great-grandchildren, Harper Fish, and Layton and Maisyn Bolinger; daughter, Megan (Tim) Kilgore, Lyndon, and grandson, Gage; brother-in-law, Bruce (Cindy) Walquist, Cleburne, Texas; and Buddy, the four-legged family member.
A celebration of life will be 11 a.m. Wednesday, March 8, at Feltner Funeral Home, Lyndon. Visitation will be 6:30-8 p.m. Tuesday, March 7, at the funeral home.
Memorial contributions will be designated by the family for breast cancer and Alzheimer’s research. Condolences can be left at feltnerfuneralhome.com.
