Born in Marshalltown, Iowa Marilyn live in Jacksonville, Illinois, and Peoria, Illinois. After graduation from high school, she felt “called” to devote her life to God by joining the community of The Sisters of St. Benedict in Nauvoo, llinois. There, she taught during the school year and attended college during the summer months earning both a B.S. and M.A. degrees. Marilyn was eventually invited to work in Campus Ministry at the U. of Illinois, and some years later at Illinois State. After serving for several years as a pastoral associate with two priests in the Catholic Churches in Mercer Co. she was invited to take the position of Assoc. Campus Chaplain at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois.