Marilyn J. Howe, 88, of Sycamore Illinois, passed away Friday, May 7 ^th , 2021.

Marilyn was born April 18 ^th , 1933 in Sycamore, Illinois to Edith (Dahlquist) Hoffman and William Hoffman.  She spent her entire childhood in Sycamore.  During her high school years, she met the love of her life, Marvin Howe.  They both graduated from Sycamore High School in 1951. After high school Marilyn and Marv went on to attend Northern Illinois University.  Marilyn majored in Elementary Education and graduated in December, 1954.

In June of 1955 she married Marvin at the Sycamore United Methodist Church. In 1958 the Howe's moved to the Dundee-Algonquin area along with their young daughter, Cindy. In 1962, their son David was born and they became a family of four. While in the Algonquin-Dundee area both Marilyn and Marv taught in their respective fields. They met many wonderful friends through teaching and in their neighborhood. In 1968 the Howe family moved back to the Sycamore area.  Marilyn took a teaching job at Southeast Elementary School in 3 ^rd grade.  She later moved to North Elementary School and continued to teach 3 ^rd grade until her retirement in 1995. Marilyn loved teaching and felt blessed to have worked with so many wonderful students and colleagues.  Even after retirement, Marilyn continued to meet and socialize regularly with the many friends she had made during her time spent at North Elementary.

While living in Sycamore Marilyn and Marv were fortunate to live in a neighborhood surrounded by neighbors that became their lifelong friends. They attended the Sycamore United Methodist Church where Marilyn was active in the women's circle and various Bible study groups. She loved worshipping at her church and continued to attend virtually throughout the pandemic.  During the summer months Marilyn enjoyed traveling with family, friends, and relatives.  One of her very special joys was her beloved lake home in Whitewater, Wisconsin.  Many summers were spent watching her kids, grandkids, friends and relatives enjoy all that the lake had to offer.

Marilyn loved to cook and bake and so you could always count on plenty to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. At the end of the day, she welcomed a slow boat ride around the lake to admire the beauty of Whitewater Lake. Family was everything to Marilyn.  She made it a priority to attend her grandchildren's birthdays, extracurricular activities, graduations, and weddings.  One of her favorite holidays was Christmas Eve which she hosted every year for her family.  Marilyn made it special by treating everyone to a large dinner, unique Christmas games, and a special visit from "Santa".

Marilyn was preceded in death by her husband, Marvin Howe; her son, David Howe; her sister, Joyce St.Laurent; and her parents.

She is survived by her daughter, Cindy (Gary) Weber; her daughter-in-law, Deb Howe; grandchildren, Carolyn Starling, Sarah (Matthew) Meyers, Stephanie (Sam) Josepher, Matthew Weber, Jeffrey Howe; great grandchildren, Sierra and Sage Starling and Jordan Meyers; her sister, Barbara (Hoffman) McMillan; niece, Susan (Chuck) Olson; great-nephew, Rodney St. Laurent; great-niece Angela Carraher; several great nephews and many dear friends.

A memorial service will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to the Sycamore United Methodist Church, 160 Johnson Ave, Sycamore, IL. 60178 or your favorite charity in honor of Marilyn.

Arrangements were completed by the Butala Funeral Home and Crematory of Sycamore.  To sign the online guest book or share a memory, go to www.butalafuneralhomes.com