Tuesday, August 1, 2023, at age 83.
Predeceased by her husband, S. Gill Krepps V, and her grandnephew, Alexander Shewey. Survived by her sister, Dorothy (Crombach) Shewey of Redmond, Washington; nieces and nephews Sheila and Byron Bishop of Seattle, John A. Shewey of Salem, Oregon, Michael and Stacy Shewey of Jacksonville, Florida, and David A. Shewey of Aumsville, Oregon; her beloved grandnieces and grandnephews, Grant, Casey, and Erica Bishop (Seattle), Morgan and Jackson Shewey (Florida), and Hailey and Joseph Shewey (Aumsville, Oregon); her cherished friend, Jim Derleth; best buddy, Sue Witzel, who supported her throughout her cancer care; her dearest, Betsy Pereira; cousin, Tom Crombach; and her many other friends. Marilyn was a kind and nurturing aunt to her nieces and nephews, their children, and she was a good friend to all.
Marilyn, a South Wedge girl, was born June 12, 1940, at Highland Hospital in Rochester. She and her sister enjoyed a childhood playing, sledding, skating, and skiing in Highland Park. From an early age, Marilyn showed her adventurous spirit. Whether it was sneaking home from an unwanted kindergarten art class; riding her bike from her Meigs Street home to her dad’s job at the Russell station in Charlotte to practice driving the family car; playing and excelling at her favorite sports (baseball, bowling, cross-county and alpine skiing, biking, hiking, golf); or simply doing the thing she was best at: bringing friends and family together, Marilyn made sure she enjoyed every moment of her time on this earth. Her talent, and later, her purpose, was sharing that sense of fun and happiness with her people (and her doggie friends). With Marilyn in the room, any event became a fun party!
Marilyn joined many of her fellow Rochesterians in working the boom years at Kodak where she was a comptroller. Here she met her husband, Gill Krepps, also a Kodak employee, and a benevolent, camera-wielding, barbershop-singing soul. At Kodak, Marilyn was a founding member of an employee ski club. Marilyn enjoyed skiing with family and friends at her local Bristol Mountain as well as all over the US and Canada. She loved to tell the story of the year she was trapped by the big snow at her local mountain. After several days confined to the lodge, she managed the drive to Highland Hospital and from there, skied home on the snowed-in streets.
Marilyn downplayed her sports prowess, but the family always said that if she had been born at a later time, Marilyn would surely have been in some professional sports league. She hit a hole-in-one at the Churchville West course, had frequent newspaper mentions with her bowling and softball scores, was playing golf with her buddies well into her cancer journey, and in her upper years, was still flying down the ski slopes, leaving the younger skiers behind!
One of Marilyn’s most treasured activities was volunteering at St. John’s nursing home where, for many years, she was a mealtime and activities companion. She took the seniors on fun outings to Highland Park and other local venues. Her advice was to be gentle with the elders and just go along with the flow of her dementia clients. This light touch shows us her signature approach to life.
Marilyn had a ready laugh, a warm heart, and found joy in gathering her many friends and family near. She will be greatly missed.
Family and friends are invited to her funeral mass at St. Pius Tenth Church, 3000 Chili Ave. Rochester, NY 14624 on Saturday, September 23 at 10AM. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Lollypop Humane Society (lollypop.org) or St. Pius Tenth Catholic Church (https://saintpiustenth.org).
