Marilyn Whalen

Our beloved Mother, Marilyn Elaine (Higbee) Whalen, returned home to her Heavenly Father on March 29th, 2022, after 93 years and 5 months after a very long and full life.  Marilyn was born on October 27th, 1928, on the Higbee family homestead in Latour Creek, (Cataldo), Idaho.

Mom was forged from a life on the homestead where she could fish, hunt, drive draft horses, and help feed the loggers that worked for the family logging company.  Whatever Mom put her mind to she did it extremely well.

Mom could paint anything she saw, and we are blessed to have many of her wonderful oil paintings.  Mom could sing and harmonize with a beautiful alto voice.  Mom held jobs as a legal and executive secretary for many years as she could write beautiful shorthand and could type 100 words a minute without error.  Mom always had a cat and dog around her when she was tending to her fabulous vegetable gardens that could be used for the cover of seed magazines.  The memory that we all cherish is that she always pointed out the beauty of nature.  She would talk about the smallest buttercup and its delicate stems and yellow colors, the tiny wild strawberries in the mountain meadows, or the wild sky’s in a thunderstorm.  We can trace our faith to her gentle nature and her love of the Creator’s handiwork.  Mom had a sharp wit and when she got together with her sisters you would be laughing so hard your stomach would hurt.

Although mom’s frail body finally released her, her legacy is still alive in her 6 children, 25 grandchildren, 63 great grandchildren, and 4 great-great grandchildren.  It is easy to see her in the features of her posterity.  The way someone smiles, how someone walks, a hairline, an eye color, a gentle nature, a beautiful voice, and numerous traits that we know are from her.  It is with great honor that we carry her noble bloodline and fondly remember the gifts she brought to this earth and span into generations now and yet to come.

Marilyn was the daughter of Flora Williams Higbee, and Myron Higbee.  She had two sisters, Donna, Janice (deceased) and a brother, Denny (Faye) Higbee.  Mom was married to Dale L. Whalen in 1946, and they were together 61 years until his death in 2007.  Mom and dad joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in early 1954.  Mom was always busy in church and held many callings throughout her life.  Their marriage was solemnized in the Logan Temple in 1955.  Marilyn is the mother of six children, Myron (Rhonda) Whalen, Maureen (Robert) Lee, Timothy (Roxie) Whalen, David (Susan) Whalen, Dennis (Beth) Whalen, and Susan (Darrell) Boman.  Marilyn was proceeded in death by her Husband Dale, her son Dennis, and 3 granddaughters, Lannie and Sarah Lee, and Jessica Rose Whalen.

Our extended Family would like to thank the great caregivers at Pioneer Care Center in Brigham City, and Heritage Care Center in American Fork Utah for their loving and kind care.  It was very difficult having mom in convalescent care during the COVID-19 Pandemic, and through the masks, glass, and ever-changing restrictions we managed to still visit her.  After the restrictions eased, she would give the longest hugs and soak in the touch of family.  We are amazed at the people who willingly provided care during those dark--uncertain days.  They really were heroes to us.

Funeral Details

Services will be held in the Rogers and Taylor  Funeral Home Chapel, 111 N 100 E, Tremonton, UT 84337 at 1PM on Monday April 11th, 2022.  There will be a viewing at 11:30 to 12:30 prior to the service.

A luncheon will be provided after the interment.