Marilyn was born September 21, 1935 in Oak Park, IL to Charles and Evelyn (Hansen) Barber. She and her brother Chick grew up together in Oak Park until moving to Calif and remained close and until his passing. Marilyn and Chick combined their families whenever possible at Thanksgiving, birthdays and other functions. Marilyn graduated from high school in Oak Park, attended business college for two years and received her associate's degree. Marilyn worked as an import buyer-custom house broker for Fed Mart as an assistant jewelry buyer and eventually started her own business. She made many purchasing trips to England, Ireland, Germany and France. Marilyn enjoyed traveling to New York City, Hawaii, and mainland Europe. Marilyn and Jim traveled often and enjoyed staying in bed and breakfasts making new friends, visiting museums and shopping for unique items that caught Marilyn's eye. Marilyn also enjoyed cruises with her husband Jim and they took 18 cruises over the years. Marilyn was an art and theatre enthusiast and frequented the Old Globe and annually attended Broadway shows and visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. Marilyn is dearly loved by her son Rob, his wife Kelly and their two sons, Tyler and Josh and extended family and friends. She and Jim were consistently at family gatherings for special occasions, sporting events, and any excuse to spend time together. She dearly loved her "Angel" Tyler and her "Sweetheart" Joshua. Marilyn loved sports, especially her grandsons baseball games or any sporting event at Cathedral Catholic High School, rarely missing one. She and Jim attended many football, basketball, and baseball games at Cathedral, she was a forever fan of the Dons and supported them in any way possible. She also loved the Yankees and the Cubs. She also loved tending her rose garden and potted camellia plants. The Zoo and the Wild Animal Park were two of her favorite places to walk and enjoy the scenery as well as Balboa Park. Jim and Marilyn were married at the Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcala in 1973 and have been faithful practicing parishioners for over 40 years. They enjoyed participating and volunteering at church functions. A highlight of Marilyn's life was a visit to the Vatican and having mass with Pope Benedict XVI. Marilyn's Qualities: Caring, loving, generous, kind, friendly, funny, giving, responsible, dedicated, always put others first, tough but soft-hearted, tough, spoke her mind, she was a force!